


What Comes After

by kokoro_no_tenshi_2



Series: Beginning To End [2]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-10-25 20:08:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 49,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17731805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kokoro_no_tenshi_2/pseuds/kokoro_no_tenshi_2
Summary: Leon is falling apart. He and Chris have problems after he has a panic attack in which he blacks out and loses time. Especially when Leon won't participate in the therapy Chris wants him to get.Meanwhile Jill and Sheva infiltrate a Tricell facility to get info on Neo Umbrella and find information that Leon was in a different facility before Vermont where his head was messed with.After visiting this other facility and getting back memories he didn't know he'd lost; Leon regains his sanity. This leads to more strife between he and Chris.





	1. Chapters 1-3

Chapter One  
March 30th, 2010 03:30am  
Washington DC: Leon Kennedy's loft  
Leon screamed into the darkness as he woke thrashing and covered in a cold sweat. He threw himself from his bed and ran to the bathroom where he retched pitifully into the toilet. All that came up was the water he'd drank before bed, but it still burned his throat and made his eyes water. After flushing the disgusting waste and brushing his teeth he walked out onto his balcony and stared out over the city. This had become his routine since leaving the hospital. Normally it wasn't so bad because he had Chris, but the brunette wasn't there tonight. He'd had to go back to work the day before and right now Leon would give anything to have him back.  
They hadn't defined the relatively new turn in their relationship yet, but that didn't bother Leon. What did was the fact that he couldn't be alone. Before his stay at the Vermont facility he'd always been fine on his own, even with the nightmares, but now...he couldn't stop shaking. The dream images wouldn't leave his mind. It had started out like a normal dream. He and Chris had been having fun at the beach and then the Regenerators had come and ripped his lover to shreds...then the dream started over.  
Leon bit back a choked sob and scrubbed at his face. He was losing his god damn mind and he didn't know how to stop it. Without Chris there to keep him grounded he felt so lost and couldn't think straight. How the hell was he going to pull himself back together if he couldn't even sleep through the night? Part of him hated that he needed Chris there to be able to sleep, but a bigger part of him never wanted to leave the other man's side. He had so many conflicting emotions that he didn't know what to do or even how to feel. Having basically been on his own since Raccoon City made him unsure of how to ask for help.  
When Chris had told him he needed to leave for a few days Leon had said he'd be fine and he'd honestly thought he would be. He never once thought that it was Chris holding the worst of the nightmares at bay until that first night when his mind had been overrun by horrific images and memories. What was he going to do now? Chris would be gone for at least a week and Leon wasn't brave enough to ask him to come back sooner. No matter how badly he wanted to. His pride wouldn't let him...nor would the knowledge that by asking Chris to come back he would be leaving the brunette's team a man short. He couldn't do that to them. It would put their lives at risk. He'd never really been part of a team, but he knew how they worked and he knew Chris. The older man was as down to earth as they come, a little hot headed sometimes, but he was the glue that held his team together. Leon didn't want to get in the way of that. He also wanted this chance to try and get by on his own. His pride demanded it.  
The blonde let out a harsh bark of laughter. His pride was what had led him down the path that put him in the hands of the men who ran the Vermont Facility. He'd thought he was so smart and covering his tracks. He'd been proved a lot more than just horribly wrong. Sure he was great at keeping secrets, hell that was in his damn job description, but his abilities were nothing compared to a pharmaceutical conglomerate that was bent on world domination...if that was even what they wanted. Leon wasn't sure anymore. It hurt his brain to try and figure out what these sadistic bastards wanted or why they did what they did. It also wasn't his job to figure them out. His job was just to stop them.  
A sudden urge to call Chris washed over him, bringing Leon to his knees on the cold floor of the balcony. He gasped for air as his chest seized. A panic attack...Jesus he thought he was over these. He hadn't had one for years. Not since coming back from Spain, but the ones he had then were nothing compared to this. His lungs burned from the lack of oxygen as he fought the fear that was taking over, squeezing his chest like a vice. Never before had he felt this afraid. Not when he'd faced those bastards in Spain, nor the monsters at the two facilities he'd been in earlier this year, or all the battles in between and before. There wasn't even anything there to be afraid of. He was alone, safe at home, but his mind refused to believe that. It screamed that there was danger where none was present. White sparks burst in his vision as everything went black.  
April 2nd, 2010 02:35pm  
BSAA Offices: Richmond, Virginia  
Chris was getting worried. He hadn't spoken to Leon in almost four days. His calls were going straight to voice mail When he'd left for this assignment he'd asked Leon if he was going to be okay. The blonde had nodded and told him he'd be fine. Chris hated the relief he'd felt at the response, but he'd needed to get away. He was struggling with his feelings for the younger man. He really loved Leon, but this was the first time he'd ever been attracted to another guy and it was scaring him a little...no a lot. This was foreign territory for him and to top it all off the man he was in love with was a little unhinged. Leon went from hot to cold in the time it took him to blink and the past two weeks had been both emotionally and physically draining.  
The one time he had suggested to Leon that he needed to see a psychologist he'd been met with violence. That had been six days ago and Chris still carried the bruises. Both from the fight and the rough sex they'd had afterwards. With each passing day it was becoming more and more clear to him that the man he'd met before going into the Dakota facility and the man that had come out of the Vermont facility were almost completely different. Leon needed serious help and Chris wasn't sure if he was up to the task. He'd never been through anything even close to what his lover had. He'd never been stranded on his own and had to fight tooth and nail to survive. Leon had. On multiple occasions it seemed. First in Raccoon city, then Spain, and now the Vermont facility. Not to mention the subsequent battles in between. All of those experiences were now coming to a head and Chris wasn't sure if Leon would survive.  
Facing monsters was easy compared to facing the soul crushing fear PTSD left you with. Chris had had serious problems after coming home from Africa. Problems that he'd dealt with because of the amazing support system he had. Leon didn't have anything like that. All he had was Chris. The brunette stared at his phone and dialed Leon's number...voice mail again. “Damn it.” He swore throwing the phone onto the chair next to him. He'd been sitting outside the chief's office waiting for Sheva and Jill for an hour now.  
They had come to the BSAA offices in Richmond for yet another debriefing on what happened at the Vermont facility. Chris was tired of going over it again and again. The three of them had gone in to save Leon then destroyed the damn place, end of story. Except that he knew that wasn't what his superiors wanted to know. What they were really looking for was how they'd known Leon was in that particular facility. Chris didn't know all the details himself since it was Claire who had discovered the information. She'd told him it was from an anonymous contact she used from time to time to get dirt on Tricell. Her contact had told her that her description of Leon fit with a man who had been transported to the Vermont facility for testing. They didn't know any more than that, but it was enough for the three BSAA agents who were used to acting on less information. Chris didn't want to bring Claire into this, but if he wanted to get back to Leon anytime soon he was going to have to spill the beans.  
03:23pm  
Washington DC: Leon's loft  
Leon groaned in pain as he opened his eyes. He didn't know how long it had been since he'd blacked out, but his body was stiff from...his eyes widened in shock as he looked around. He was lying on his bathroom floor and there was blood everywhere. He looked down at himself to find that he was naked and there were three long gashes on his left thigh. On the floor surrounding him were shards of broken mirror. He also had a large piece clenched in his fist. “Fuck.” He swore, his voice was rough and his throat felt like it was on fire. Slowly he got to his feet and got another shock when he saw what was written, in blood, all over the walls of the bathroom. Help me Help me Help me. Leon almost fell back to the floor, but managed to catch himself on the sink. “Shit just got real.” The blonde muttered then set about cleaning up after himself.  
He'd had these blackouts before, but he'd never told anyone. Normally he only lost an hour or two, but when he saw that his phone had died he knew that this time was not like the last. After plugging in the device he turned it on and just sat there staring at the date highlighted on the screen. 4/2/2010. Well fuck. He'd been out for almost three days. The phone buzzed. 20 missed calls. “Fuck.” Leon took a deep breath and opened his phone. 20 missed calls from Chris Redfield. Leon didn't bother voicing the words running through his head. That one four letter word had become like a mantra rattling around his skull, repeating over and over again. The more he looked around his apartment the louder it got...then he realized that it wasn't just in his head and clenched his jaw shut. I do believe I have lost my god damn mind. He thought and then began to laugh hysterically.  
The ringing of his phone caused him to sober immediately. Chris Redfield flashed across the front screen of the device he held in his bandaged hand. Taking a deep breath he opened the phone and held it to his ear. “Chris?” His voice came out in a croak.  
“Leon!” The older man cried. “Fucking finally, Jesus. Are you okay? You haven't been answering and I...” Chris went quiet. “Leon, are you okay?” The blonde shook his head, belatedly realizing that Chris couldn't see him.  
“No.” He said aloud a few seconds later.  
“I'm on the next flight out.” Chris's voice was warm and filled with concern. “The chief's done with me so I can be there in an hour okay?”  
“I...okay.” Leon took a deep breath. “Don't yell at me when you get here.”  
“Why would I...what happened Leon?”  
“I don't...” He squeezed his eyes shut and decided to bite the bullet. “I lost a few days Chris. I had a night mare Tuesday night and panicked enough to lose time. I only woke up about an hour ago.”  
“WHAT?!” Leon had to hold the phone away from his ear or risk being deafened by Chris's shouting. “YOU SAID YOU'D BE FINE!!” And that's not even the worst part babe, Leon thought morosely, just wait until you see what I did to myself. He waited for Chris to finish yelling then brought the phone back to his ear.  
“Chris, I didn't plan this you know.” There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line.  
“I know Leon.” His lover said quietly. “I've just been worried out of my fucking mind over here. I thought...never mind. I've got a flight so I will be there in less than an hour...I love you babe, hang in there.”  
“I'll try.” Leon replied fighting back tears. “I love you too.”  
“See you soon.” There was a click and Leon was alone again. He wiped his eyes and finished getting dressed then went back into the bathroom. He had already cleaned up all the glass, but the bloody writing on the wall was still there. Leon didn't know how he was going to clean it off the wall paper and he didn't have a lot of time in which to do it.  
04:40pm  
Washington DC: Leon's loft  
Chris used the key Leon had given him to let himself into the loft his partner owned and tossed his bag to the floor. The heavy scent of bleach hit his nostrils as soon as he stepped into the living room. That set off the alarms in his head. There were few things that much bleach was used for and he highly doubted that Leon was making bombs in his apartment. Chris ran to the bathroom door and stared in shock. “Fuck.” He heard Leon swear, but Chris couldn't tear his eyes away from the bloody message covering the walls. Help me. What the hell had happened and who's blood...he finally looked at Leon. There was a bandage wrapped around his left hand and blood on his jeans over his left thigh. “Fuck.” Leon swore again and threw the pink tinged scrub brush he held back into a bucket filled with pink water. It was then that Chris realized why his lover was swearing. He had been covering up what had happened when he'd walked in. Anger made the brunette's chest burn and he wanted so badly to scream at the man, but he knew that would only hurt Leon. So he took a deep breath then calmly walked into the bathroom and sat on the floor facing his friend.  
“Would you have told me about this if I hadn't seen it?” He asked quietly. It took almost a minute, but Leon finally met his eyes.  
“I couldn't leave it.” He whispered. “It was scaring me.” His voice strengthened as he continued. “I knew I had to tell you, but actually seeing it is...” He trailed off with a shudder. Chris's heart softened and he pulled the younger man into his arms.  
“Have you had blackouts like this before?” He asked gently.  
“After I came back from Spain I had a few, but they only lasted an hour or two...not three days, and I never woke up to...” He gestured at the wall. “The blackouts only lasted a month and I haven't had one in almost nine years. I honestly thought I was going to be fine...I usually am, but...” He trailed off then buried his face in Chris's chest. “I don't think I can do this on my own anymore Chris.” His voice was muffled by the brunette's uniform, but every word was understood.  
“You aren't alone Leon.” Chris tightened his arms and kissed the top of his lover's head. “I'm here for you.” He ran his fingers through Leon's hair, smiling as the younger man relaxed against him. “I'll take some time off and we can go to my house in Montana, how does that sound?”  
“Good.” Leon murmured sleepily. “I can't stand it here...I keep seeing Ada.” Chris frowned. “She died by the balcony door...I don't think I told you.”  
“Yeah...no.” Chris wrinkled his nose. “Must have slipped your mind.” Leon nodded then sighed.  
“When can we leave?”

Chapter Two  
April 5th, 2010 11:45am  
Montana: Chris's Ranch  
Leon stared at the huge house in front of him then at the surrounding greenery. The air was cold, but clean and it was quiet. There was a sense of peace all around him. No one had died here. No blood stained the ground before him and best of all it was just him and Chris out here in the wilds of Montana. They had taken a plane from Washington DC to Glasgow Montana then driven two hours out of town to get to Chris's ranch.  
It wasn't a ranch in the literal sense since Chris didn't have time to raise horses or cattle. For now it was just the house and land. There was a barn, but it was in disrepair. Chris had explained that it was for his retirement. He wanted to raise horses after he had retired from the BSAA. Leon liked that idea and he loved the house. It was built plantation style with a huge wrap around deck.  
“Come on Fed.” Chris laughed, clapping him on the shoulder and bringing him out of his thoughts. “Its cold out here.” Leon nodded and followed the older man into the house...which was just as cold as the outdoors. Once Chris turned on the thermostat it warmed up quickly. Leon helped Chris bring in all the groceries they'd bought in town. Since they'd be staying here for the next couple months Chris had decided to stock up on food to limit the trips they'd need to take into town. The plan he'd laid out to Leon a couple days ago consisted of doing absolutely nothing. He wanted Leon to be able to just relax. Jill and Sheva would be arriving in a week to stay with them.  
For a man who had been on his own for a long time it was hard to accept the help they offered graciously. Leon found he had a hard time expressing the gratitude he felt. He was great at faking smiles and witty banter, but he had become too detached from other people, which made forming real relationships hard. Chris he trusted implicitly, but the girls were a bit harder. A strange fact to consider when one analyzed the fact that he usually felt more comfortable around women.  
He didn't know why that was and refused to question his feelings for Chris. They were strange and wonderful...not strange because of the guy thing-Leon was bi so he knew that wasn't it. It was strange for the simple reason that the brunette loved him back just as ferociously and wonderful because Chris made him feel safe.  
The night after Leon's blackout ended, they'd fallen asleep together and the nightmares had stayed away. The next night was similar, except that Leon had woken because he thought he'd heard Ada's voice. That was when Chris had began putting the trip to Montana together and now as Leon looked around he felt a sense of relief. There were no ghosts here. Nothing from his past existed in this place and it was from here that he could begin moving forward with his life. It would be a long and most likely bumpy road, but, unlike after Spain, he wasn't going to just push everyone and everything away.  
Chris had told him that that was part of his problem. “If you don't let yourself feel things, then how can you resolve anything. After Africa I was a wreck, but I talked about it. I admitted that I needed help. I know you don't want to see a shrink, but I think talking to someone will help. All I can do is be there for you and tell you that it gets better.” Leon had fallen in love with him all over again in that moment. He'd also agreed to see a therapist once a week in Glasgow. It was a woman who worked for the BSAA, but had retired the previous year. She was the one who had helped Chris and Jill get through their own trauma and had agreed to see Leon. She had her own practice now and, from what Chris had said, really wanted to help Leon. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to her, but after hearing about his blackout the woman, Ellie Sanderson, had told Chris that seeing a therapist was imperative. She had also said that Leon might have to be put on some medication, which was something he really didn't want. He didn't take medicine of any kind if he could help it and considering his history he felt like his fears were justified.  
09:20pm  
Montana: Chris's Ranch  
Chris sighed heavily as he finished unpacking. Leon had barely said a word since the brunette had walked in on him cleaning the blood from the walls of the bathroom. It was weird to see the blonde so quiet and Chris feared that the man was detaching from reality. He'd cut himself while helping to make dinner and didn't even notice until Chris grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his bleeding fingers. When Chris had looked into the younger man's eyes he'd seen nothing. The blue-gray orbs had been empty and dull. The life he'd seen in them before Leon had been taken to Virginia was gone and Chris didn't know how to get it back. He was hoping Ellie could help.  
The woman had been a Godsend after Africa. She'd helped him through his own bout of depression and PTSD. The depression had faded and he now had the skills to cope with the anxiety he still sometimes got after what he'd been through. At first he'd been upset to find out that the mental illnesses wouldn't ever truly go away, but Ellie had helped both him and Jill to find peace in their lives. She also taught them how to turn what they perceived as weaknesses into their strength. For instance, because of his PTSD Chris was now very paranoid and instead of disregarding that paranoia completely; he'd turned it into hyper awareness. He used it to keep a careful eye on his surroundings, which helped to keep his anxiety down and also from being surprised. Unfortunately for Leon, his case wasn't as simple.  
Leon had been abducted and placed in an environment where every second was a struggle to survive...and he'd been there for a month. After talking to Ellie about what his partner was going through she had told him to watch Leon very closely. So for the past few days he'd done just that...and what he saw terrified him. The blonde didn't really eat or sleep. He paced restlessly, his eyes constantly moving and he would freeze at every loud sound. Pain didn't register to him and his smile was just gone. Chris was very afraid, but not of him. He was scared for him. Leon was trying his hardest to bottle everything up inside instead of letting it go, which was something Chris had had to learn for himself after coming home from Africa. He was much stronger now after therapy than he had been even before going into the Spencer mansion all those years ago and he knew it was because of the support system he had.  
He'd always had a support system too. His sister, Jill, Barry, Carlos, and now Sheva. Leon had had only Claire and this Ada person, who was definitely bad news and was dead now. Claire had ruined her relationship with Leon by being a bitch so it was up to Chris and he had no clue what to do for the man. He wasn't even sure if the relationship they had was healthy. Ellie had warned him not to use sex as an outlet, but it was hard to resist when Leon would press up against him in the night. Ellie had also warned him that Leon's feelings might not be real and that he might just be faking it to get Chris to stay with him. The brunette had tried to laugh it off, but when he looked into Leon's eyes, even after sex, there was nothing there. It was like the man was dead inside and Chris was at a loss.  
He himself was head over heels in love with Leon and he was beginning to come to terms with their unconventional relationship. Hell, Jill and Sheva were together, so why was it outside the realm of possibilities for him to be with a man? A man who had saved his life and vice versa? The only problem he had come across was how to tell his sister...she had told him that she was in love with Leon a couple weeks ago and had wanted him to put in a good word for her. That was never going to happen. She had also begged to come on this trip, which he had nipped in the bud before she even got the words out. If Chris had his way she'd never see Leon again...but that was his possessive side talking, not the most pretty part of him.  
“Chris?” The brunette jumped slightly, dragged from his thoughts, and turned to find Leon standing in the door of their bedroom.  
“What's up Rookie?” He smiled. Leon really wasn't a rookie anymore, hadn't been for a long time, but Chris still loved to call him that. Sometimes it would make the blonde smile. This time was not one of those times. Leon just looked at him blankly for a moment.  
“Never mind...I forgot.” His blue-gray eyes moved to the floor as his brow furrowed slightly and just stood there. Chris's heart went out to him. He remembered a time when his brain had been so muddled that it was hard to focus on anything, so he had a small inkling as to what his lover was going through.  
“That's okay, you'll remember eventually.” Chris went to him and folded him into an embrace. It saddened him to feel that Leon had lost even more weight. Any more and he'd be nothing but bones. He kissed the top of Leon's head, fighting back tears and felt the smaller man's arms wrap around his waist.  
“Do I have to go see that woman tomorrow?” Leon asked suddenly.  
“Her name is Ellie, and yes. You have an appointment tomorrow afternoon at three.” Chris sighed then tipped Leon's face up. “I promise you that she can help.” Something flickered deep in the younger man's eyes and then was gone, but not before Chris had seen what it was. “You don't have to be afraid of her, Leon, she's not going to hurt you.”  
“How do you know?” Leon's voice was barely a whisper.  
“Because I trust her, Rookie.” Chris replied, kissing him gently. “She saved me from the bottom of the bottle and worse.” He said as he pulled away. Leon buried his face in Chris's chest and mumbled something he couldn't hear. “What?” Leon shook his head. “Don't do that, Leon.” Chris said gently then cupped the smaller man's chin and brought his face up again. “Please talk to me. I want you to feel safe going in there.”  
“I only feel safe with you.” Leon's cheeks flushed as he looked away.  
“I can be in the office with you. Would that make it easier?” Chris asked. A look of relief so intense it surprised Chris washed over Leon's face and the brunette made a mental note to call Ellie to let her know the progress. Leon had been adamant since the beginning that he didn't want to see a shrink and only agreed to it because Chris knew one. The older man didn't understand Leon's fear and the blonde refused to enlighten him. Somehow he needed to get the man to relax. A slow smile crossed his face as he realized one way he could do just that.  
10:07pm  
Montana: Chris's Ranch  
Leon saw Chris smiling and was confused. How could the man smile about- his brain promptly shut down as the older man's lips covered his, a wicked tongue slipping in to taste him. Leon opened his mouth with a soft moan as the warm, wet muscle teased him. When Chris kissed him like this it made him feel warm inside instead of dead. He lifted his hands to tangle them in his lovers short hair and pulled him closer, pressing his body into the much larger one in front of him. He wanted this moment to last forever so that he could forget all his pain, the fear, and leave the darkness behind.  
Chris's gun calloused hands slid up his shirt, slowly pushing it up his chest. Leon pulled away, but only long enough to get both of their shirts off then he was back at Chris's lips with a vengeance, adding his own tongue to their battle for domination. It was a battle Leon always let Chris win and he groaned as he felt himself lifted and slammed against the wall. He wrapped his legs around Chris's waist and gasped as the larger man's swollen groin pressed into him.  
“God I want inside you.” Chris growled moving his hips roughly.  
“Then take me, damn it.” Leon hissed in reply reaching down to undo his jeans. His lover gripped him hard around the waist then suddenly he was moving through the air and landing face first on the bed. Chris's hands ripped both his jeans and boxers from his body. Leon's heart pounded in his chest as he heard Chris's clothes fall to the floor and he wondered what this time would be like. He preferred rough and hard, but sometimes Chris tried to be slow and sweet. Chris's hands wrapped around his waist and pulled him up so that he was on his hands and knees. Leon closed his eyes with a soft moan as rough hands began caressing every inch of him. Tonight was going to be a mix of what they both liked, he decided. The thought brought a small smile to his lips, which turned quickly into a moan of pleasure as Chris took his erection in hand, pumping it gently.  
“What do you want?” A voice husky with lust whispered in his ear. The hand squeezed him hard making him groan and push into it. What did he want?  
“More.” He whispered pressing his ass into Chris's groin. He could feel the older man's erection hot and throbbing against his cheeks. “Fuck me Redfield. Fuck me until I can't walk and am begging for more.” Chris groaned and his hips bucked involuntarily. The hand currently on Leon's cock left him and he could feel Chris shifting around behind him. The sound of a cap closing made him bite his lip in anticipation then the plastic bottle fell onto the bed next to him with a muted thump.  
“Your wish is my command.” Chris growled in his ear as a lubed finger began to enter him. Leon moaned at the penetration and widened his stance to give his lover more room to maneuver. “You're going to feel me with every step you take tomorrow.” A second finger slid home and Leon gasped as they began to move inside him, scissoring and twisting. Shivers of pleasure flew up his spine as a third finger slipped in to join the other two. He moaned and tried to hold still as he felt them reaching for something inside him then cried out as they hit his prostate. He heard Chris chuckle softly then felt his lips gently kiss the base of his spine.  
“Nngh!” Leon cried wordlessly as the fingers inside him began to massage the small bundle of nerves there sending wave after wave of heated pleasure through him. He almost screamed as their speed increased, bringing him to the edge, but before he could cum; their movement stopped. He gasped for air, pressing his forehead into the mattress. The lube disappeared from his side as the fingers left him, causing him to feel empty and he blinked back sudden tears. He hated that feeling, but before he could say anything he felt Chris's erection pushing at his entrance. His fingers clawed at the blankets beneath him as he was filled. “Fuck!” He screamed as Chris slammed into him. It hurt, but the pain made him feel alive and he savored every sensation as the larger man began to pound into him. The pain instantly disappeared as his mind clouded with pleasure. Chris's cock was hitting his prostate with every thrust. “ Harder.” Leon groaned, craning his neck to look back at the brunette.  
“Beg.” The older man demanded with a grin as he slowed his movements.  
“Please, Chris.” Leon moaned, closing his eyes. “Please fuck me harder.” He felt fingers grip his hips tightly and then he screamed in pleasure as Chris slammed into him again and again, each thrust harder than the one before. “God, yes!” He cried. “Don't stop, Chris, please don't fucking stop!” Leon could feel his hips bruising beneath Chris's fingers, but he didn't care. Nothing mattered to him in that moment except for the heat and pleasure crashing through him. He never wanted this to end but he could feel himself falling over the edge and he screamed into the mattress as he came. One, two, three more thrusts and Chris's seed filled him. They collapsed together, gasping for air as they came down from the high. As Chris pulled from him Leon turned to face the older man. He pulled Chris's sweaty face to his and kissed him hard. “I love you.” He whispered against kiss swollen lips.  
“I love you too.” Chris murmured, pulling him tight against his chest. “How does a shower sound?” Leon laughed lightly and kissed the side of Chris's jaw.  
“Sounds wonderful.”  
April 6th 11:30am  
Montana: Chris's Ranch  
Chris opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. He was surprised to see how late he had slept in. He was even more surprised when he looked down to find Leon next to him, his face relaxed in sleep. A soft smile curved his lips as he smoothed soft blonde hair from his lover's face. They'd had sex twice the previous night. Once before they went to bed and a second time when Leon woke from a nightmare. Part of Chris regretted it because he knew he'd been rough. He could see a bruise in the shape of his teeth on the smaller man's shoulder that made him wince. Another part of him argued that Leon had wanted him to be rough. The blonde had begged for it, literally, and had seemed to enjoy every second. It wasn't a good argument, though, Ellie had warned him about that kind of behavior, but, like always, his restraint had gone out the window with every sound Leon had made. Chris hated the part of him that enjoyed making the younger man scream as he fucked him.  
Chris sighed before carefully disentangling himself from Leon and getting out of bed. Nature called. After relieving himself and washing his hands he came back into the room to find Leon getting dressed. His eyes widened as he saw the dark, finger shaped bruises decorating Leon's thin hips. “Don't.” The blonde's voice was hoarse. Chris put a hand to his mouth as tears welled in his eyes. He'd really hurt Leon this time. He began to turn away, but suddenly Leon was there in front of him, gripping his wrists. Chris couldn't meet his eyes. He didn't want to see Leon's pain. “Chris, look at me.” He felt cold hands on his face forcing him to look down. Chris slowly brought his eyes to Leon's, tears spilling down his cheeks. What he saw surprised him. There was a warmth in Leon's eyes that he rarely saw. “Please don't regret what we did last night.” The shorter man whispered.  
“B-but I hurt you.” Chris stammered, touching a fresh bruise on his shoulder. Leon shook his head. “I did, look at this.”  
“I saw, but what you don't see is how you made me feel.” Leon grabbed Chris's hand and kissed him gently. “Everything just fades away when I'm with you.” He whispered against the older man's lips. “Just let me have these, and don't regret anything...I don't.”  
“I won't do that again, Leon, I can't...” A finger pressed to his lips silencing him.  
“I know, Chris.” Leon met his eyes and Chris could see the warmth fading. Damn it. “I'll go make breakfast.” Chris watched him grab a shirt and walk out of the room then fell to his knees beside the bed and broke down. There had been more bruises on Leon's back...and his wrists. It was so wrong...so so wrong. Why did Leon act like he wanted those marks? Why did he want to be hurt? Chris didn't understand and he was beginning to hate himself. He also needed to call Ellie and tell her what happened.

Chapter Three  
April 6th, 2010 02:55pm  
Glasgow, Montana: Ellie Sanderson's Office  
Leon followed Chris into the woman's office. The shrink was sitting behind her desk smiling at them. She was an older woman, probably in her early fifties, well put together. Her hair was black with silvery gray streaks and her eyes were a soft green behind half lenses. She looked like a librarian. “Hello Chris.” She said warmly as she rose from her chair and walked towards them. “Its so good to see you. I've missed our sessions.”  
“So have I.” Chris replied as he bent to give her a fond kiss on the cheek. Leon had to fight back a growl as she turned her mega-watt smile on him.  
“You must be Leon.” She held out a hand and Leon shook it once then shoved his hands in his pockets. “I've heard a lot about you from Chris.” Her smile widened. “And the news, but I have to say you are much more handsome in person.”  
“Can we get this shit over with?” Leon blurted out before he could stop himself. He'd always hated small talk...and cougars. A twitch began to develop in his left eye as the woman laughed.  
“Chris warned me about this.” He was really beginning to hate this woman. “Alright have a seat and we'll start.” She sashayed over to a comfortable looking chair then gestured towards the couch facing her. A glass coffee table was carefully placed between them. Leon hesitated then followed Chris to the couch and sat down. “First off I must tell you that Chris has already filled me in on many of the details surrounding your trauma and physical recovery. We are both very concerned about your three day blackout last week.” No kidding, Leon rolled his eyes inwardly and kept his face blank. He was still hurting over Chris's reaction to the bruises their lovemaking had incurred. He was also pissed because he had overheard the brunette's subsequent conversation with this damn woman about it over the phone. Their relationship was none of her business. “Do you remember what caused it?” The shrink looked at him as she patiently waited for his reply.  
Leon figured that the longer he stayed quiet the faster he'd be able to get out of there...if she let him leave without calling the white coats in. That was something neither he or Chris had any control over and Leon's greatest fear. His freedom was in this woman's hands and she could have him committed in the blink of an eye. “A panic attack.” He said finally after Chris nudged his arm. Leon watched her write his answer down and narrowed his eyes.  
“What caused the panic attack?” Shrink woman asked, looking up at him when she'd finished. Well shit. That was a good question...and he really didn't know the answer so he just shrugged. “What were you thinking about when it happened?” She asked patiently. Leon thought back to that night, he'd been thinking about a lot of things after waking up from that nightmare. Suddenly Chris grabbed his arm. Leon opened eyes he didn't remember closing.  
“Shit Leon.” The older man swore. He had Leon's hand in his and was pressing a handkerchief into it. A white one that was slowly turning red. A glance at the clock told him that ten minutes had passed since the shrink had asked her question. Ten minutes that Leon couldn't remember. Well shit. Shrink woman was writing furiously on her pad. Leon wanted her to stop. Panic fluttered in his chest. He didn't want a record of this. Records could be used against him. Before he could stop himself he reached over and yanked the pad from her grasp. Both her and Chris stared at him in shock. Leon stared at the pad in his good hand, reading what she'd written. Well, at least he hadn't said anything. Apparently he'd hurt his own hand by digging his thumb into the cut he had on his palm. The one he'd gotten from the mirror. He ripped the page from the pad and shoved it in his pocket to burn later.  
“From your actions am I correct in assuming you don't want me to write down anything you say or do?” With the pad in his hand he sat back against the couch and just looked at her. He could see fear in her eyes and felt nothing. He was protecting himself the only way he knew how...silence and a healthy dose of paranoia.  
“Leon, for Christ's sake, will you just relax?” Chris sighed as he finished tying the handkerchief around his hand. “Ellie's just trying to help you.” Leon didn't take his eyes off the woman sitting across from him until Chris grabbed his chin and forced their gazes to meet. “You're safe here Leon.” The older man told him quietly. “What are you so afraid of?”  
“Is it being institutionalized?” Leon jerked as if he'd been struck as the shrink voiced almost exactly what he'd been thinking. He saw confusion in Chris's face as he pulled away to stare at her warily. “Leon, I have never once in my career had a patient committed against their will.”  
“You aren't going to get locked up in a hospital Rookie.” Chris put a gentle hand on his arm. “Therapists don't even have that kind of power without the courts backing them up.”  
“He's right Leon. I can't force you into an institution without consent.” He could see the truth in her eyes, but he was still afraid.  
03:30pm  
Glasgow, Montana: Ellie Sanderson's Office  
Chris wondered where Leon's fear was coming from. Every muscle in the younger man's body was tense as if he was getting ready to run and he was just staring at Ellie. “Why do you think I would have you committed?”  
“Because I'm losing my god damn mind!” Leon's snarled outburst made both Chris and Ellie jump. He'd never seen Leon like this before. The blonde had half risen off the couch and his lips were pulled back in a visceral snarl. His eyes blazed with a hatred Chris found disconcerting and he could see that the normally unflappable Ellie was getting scared.  
“Babe.” Chris soothed, pulling Leon so that he was sitting next to him. “Calm down.” He put his arm around Leon's shoulders, but his lover pulled away and got to his feet. Chris wasn't surprised. Leon had been kind of prickly since breakfast.  
“Why do you think you're losing your mind?” Ellie asked quietly, setting her pen on the coffee table. She then settled back in her chair and watched Leon walk to the window. “Are you hallucinating?”  
“Sometimes.” Leon said after a few minutes of staring out the window.  
“What have you seen?” Ellie's brow furrowed. This was bad. Chris bit his lip and tried to breathe. He'd never hallucinated before so he didn't know how Ellie was going to react. Leon laughed harshly.  
“What do you think I see, woman?” He snapped turning to face her. “Death, blood, zombies...ghosts.” His eyes grew distant and Chris knew he was thinking of Ada.  
“Do you see them when you're awake or half asleep?”  
“Awake.”  
“Is it only when you're alone that you see these things?” Ellie asked gently. Leon nodded. His gaze briefly flickered to Chris before moving to the floor. “So having Chris around helps.” He nodded again. “Do you really love him, Leon, or are you just using him as an outlet for the loss of control you're feeling?” The change that came over Leon was terrifying. Chris watched the color leave his face as his eyes slowly rose to meet hers. They were like chips of ice that radiated a cold hatred. If looks could kill, Ellie would be dead a thousand times over. Out of the corner of his eye Chris saw her cringe.  
“Fuck you.” Leon said coldly, his voice dripping venom. He then turned and walked out of the office without even looking at Chris. The brunette met Ellie's eyes and wasn't surprised to see fear in them.  
“Well, that didn't go as well as I'd planned, but I'd like you to convince him to try again next week.” She said smiling shakily.  
“I'm sorry Ellie, I-”  
“No, no, don't apologize. This was good.” She stood and collected her pad from the couch then gave Chris a hug. “Don't give in to what he wants Chris. He's walking on the edge right now and he could go either way.”  
“What do you mean?” Chris asked worriedly.  
“I mean that he can either start healing, or go insane.”  
06:45pm  
Montana: Chris's Ranch  
Leon stared up into the darkening sky trying to get that bitch's question out of his head. Using Chris? Fucking cunt. His love for Chris was the only thing that he was sure about. He looked at the bruises on his wrist and felt a pang of guilt, but not regret. Pain made him feel alive. It wasn't healthy...he knew that, but it didn't change the facts. He wondered if he should talk to Chris about it. Had the older man ever dealt with the urges he was having. Night after night he laid awake thinking about taking a knife to his skin over and over again. He'd never done it, but he couldn't get the thoughts out of his head. He just wanted to feel something again...no that wasn't it. He didn't know what he wanted. He was so lost.  
“Leon.” Chris's voice brought him from his thoughts and he turned slowly. He'd been standing in the yard for the past hour while Chris had been making dinner. Now Chris was walking down the porch stairs coming towards him. “Dinner's ready.” The older man said quietly as he came to a stop a couple feet away, he looked nervous. Leon hadn't spoken to him since walking out of the bitch's office. “Will you come inside and eat?”  
“Will you tell me why that bitch needs to know what goes on between us?” Leon asked in return. “I heard you tell her about last night...why?”  
“It freaked me out a little.” Chris admitted. “It was like you wanted me to hurt you and I didn't know how to react...so I talked to her about it.” Leon's anger faded and he took a deep breath then wrapped his arms around Chris's waist and buried his face in the taller man's neck.  
“I'm not using you.” He mumbled into the sweet smelling skin of Chris's throat. The older man's warm arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer.  
“I know, I'm sorry she asked that.” Leon relaxed, hearing Chris's words. “I can't hurt you like that again Leon. I-”  
“It wasn't intentional Chris.” Leon sighed, lifting his head to look his lover in the eye. “Last night was intense and I needed it. I got almost ten hours of sleep last night. Solid, fucking dreamless sleep.” Chris looked confused. “I haven't slept that long since I was in the hospital on drugs Chris. So thank you.” He leaned up to kiss the other man gently. “I'm sorry I bruise easy.”  
“Its not only that, Leon...I shouldn't do that to you...its...” The brunette trailed off with a frown. “Its not right. You need love not-”  
“Please don't treat me like a woman Chris.” Leon felt laughter bubbling in his chest. “What we have is different than anything we've had in a lover before, and I for one like not having to be so fucking careful. I mean think about what we've been through, our training...I can handle a few bruises Chris.” The older man was looking at him strangely. “I'm serious Redfield, its not much different than sparring if you think about it.” He grinned up at him crookedly. Chris snorted then threw his head back with a laugh.  
“Sparring is completely different Kennedy and you know it.”  
“Maybe, but what we do burns more calories.” Leon snickered.  
“Speaking of which, come inside and eat you little fucker.” Chris grabbed him in a headlock as they both laughed, then began dragging him towards the house.  
April 9th, 2010 03:15am  
Montana: Chris's Ranch  
Chris woke to Leon's screams. He quickly snapped the light on and took the now sobbing man into his arms. Leon trembled against him sobbing brokenly that he was sorry over and over again. Chris just held him close and spoke softly. “You're safe now Rookie, it was just a dream.” He rubbed the sweat soaked skin on Leon's back in small circles, trying to soothe him. It took almost an hour for him to finally calm down. Chris wanted to ask about the dream, but he knew from experience that it was too soon. He also knew that it would be easier to talk about in the daylight.  
“Thank you.” Leon whispered against his chest. Chris kissed the top of his head in response then tipped his chin up and kissed him on the lips.  
“Any time, babe.” He smiled and kissed Leon again. His lover made a small, needy sound in the back of his throat and the next thing Chris knew he was lying on his back with Leon straddling his waist. The bruises from the last time they'd fucked stood out against his pale skin, but Chris didn't look away from them. He softly ran his thumbs over the ones on Leon's hips. They were a reminder for him to control his own strength now instead of source of guilt and regret. He was distracted from his quiet contemplation by Leon's lips on his. Ellie's warning flashed through his mind as his partner's hips rocked sensuously against him. He took Leon's face in his hands and broke away from his lips. “Let's do this my way.” He said softly. He carefully maneuvered the smaller man onto his back and kneeled between his legs. Before crawling into bed that night he'd realized that, not once, in this relationship had he taken the time to give Leon pleasure before he fucked the living hell out of him. Not once had he ever made love to Leon. It was almost always hard, fast and rough with Leon just taking everything.  
“Wha-oh!” Leon gasped, throwing his head back as Chris took his erection into his mouth. Chris closed his eyes as he sucked gently then moaned as he felt Leon's length hardening against his tongue. Thinking about what he himself liked, the brunette tried to replicate it. He swirled his tongue around the tip of Leon's cock and almost smiled as the smaller man writhed beneath him. He sucked and nipped, stroked and licked until Leon was whimpering and begging him for more.  
“Hand me the lube.” Chris murmured. He kept stroking Leon's cock with one hand as he took the bottle from the younger man's shaking grasp. “I am not going to fuck you tonight Leon.” Chris said quietly as he lubed up his fingers. As he slid the first one in; he leaned forward so that he could kiss the adorable look of confusion off his lover's face. “I am going to make love to you.” He whispered as he slid a second finger in. “Slowly and sweetly so that you feel every moment of pleasure how it should be.” Leon's breath hitched as he inserted a third finger and slowly began to stretch the tight ring of muscle. Chris kissed away a tear that was slipping down the side of Leon's face. “I want you to feel how much I love you and know that no matter what happens I will always be here for you.” Leon gasped softly, his body arching as Chris pressed his fingers against his prostate. He stared into those watery blue-gray eyes as he slowly circled his fingers against it. Leon clutched at his shoulders, his mouth falling open in a soundless cry as his body grew closer to its climax.  
Chris removed his fingers then put lube on his own erection. “I will be your anchor, Leon.” He whispered, kissing the blonde's ear as he slid into slowly into him. Leon was crying now, his arms around Chris's neck as the older man slowly moved his hips back and forth. “Just hold on to me and you'll never lose yourself.” He moaned as Leon's muscles clenched around him.  
“I'll never let you go.” Leon whispered, wrapping his legs around Chris's waist. Chris groaned and tried to keep to a slow pace, but he felt his speed increase as Leon kissed his neck. Soon the smaller man began to meet each of his thrusts moaning and gasping with need. Chris was getting close. He could feel the heat pooling in his gut so he reached between them and began to stroke Leon's cock in time with his thrusts. It only took four pumps and Leon was crying out his climax. Chris swallowed his own cry as the muscles surrounding his cock clenched. Leon grabbed his face and kissed him passionately as he reversed their positions. Looking up he watched Leon ride his cock. The look on the younger man's face sent Chris over the edge. He came with a shout, spilling his seed deep into his lover's warmth.  
03:50am  
Montana: Chris's Ranch  
Leon felt the tears on his face as he looked down into Chris's warm blue eyes. He felt as though someone had just smoothed a healing balm on his soul. He was by no means healed, that would take time, but he no longer felt like he needed the pain he had been craving lately. Letting the tears fall he leaned down and kissed Chris gently. The older man pulled out of him then tugged him down so that he was lying on his chest. “I meant every word I said Leon.” Chris whispered, kissing the side of his head. “Every time you start to lose it I want you to tell me. I won't let you fall.” Fresh tears spilled down his cheeks, dripping onto Chris's chest.  
“Promise?” Leon whispered, closing his eyes. He listened to the soothing rhythm of Chris's heart softly thumping beneath him.  
“I promise you, Leon, I will do everything I can to help you keep it together.” Chris's voice was strong and full of conviction. Leon felt his lips turn up in a smile and his eyes grow heavy. “I love you so much Rookie.”  
“I love you too, Chris.” Leon kissed the big man's chest. “I...may like your way better.” Chris laughed.  
“Good.”

 


	2. Chapters 4-6

Chapter Four

April 4th, 2010 06:30am  
Kiev, Russia: Neo Umbrella Facility Delta

The small warehouse looked abandoned, but Jill knew all too well that looks could be deceiving. She and Sheva were following a lead she had gotten from the computers back at the Vermont Facility when they had been searching for the self-destruct mechanism. In one of the programs she had searched through had been a list of possible Neo Umbrella facilities. The one she and her lover were approaching now was the only one left on the list that they hadn't had checked out yet; the reason being that it was in Russia. Russian-American relations were at an all time low so it took a while for the BSAA to get permission from their government to send in a two man, well two woman, team, although not as long Jill had expected. The Russians wanted nothing to do with the facility, code named Delta, but they hadn't been very enthusiastic about the idea of someone else coming in to check it out. It took almost a month to get all the paperwork and negotiating out of the way.  
The warehouse that contained the entrance to the Delta facility was on the outskirts of Kiev. Jill figured that because of the location and its proximity to a lot of Russian citizens was what prompted their government to be semi-quick about their decision to let the BSAA handle it. Their mission was to assess what type of facility Delta was, retrieve what information they could on Neo Umbrella, and to see what they could find any information on why Leon Kennedy was on their hit list. Jill had added that last one and Sheva had agreed. For them it was a priority. They wanted to know why the black corporation had had Tricell kidnap Leon instead of just killing him, as was their normal operating procedure when someone knew something they shouldn't. They also wanted to find out what Claire's contact had meant when they said Leon had been abducted for 'testing'. The word sent a shiver down the blonde's spine.  
For this mission the BSAA had requested that the government evacuate the part of the city that was closest to the warehouse, which was easy since most of the area was either abandoned or just storage buildings. The Russians had readily agreed with this request and had also put the rest of the city on alert. There were military and police road blocks surrounding the warehouse in a five mile radius. There were also troops that had experience fighting bio-weapons on stand-by in case anything got out, which both Jill and Sheva prayed wouldn't happen. There were also other contingencies in place that the two women had not been briefed on.  
Jill sighed in relief as the helicopter carrying her and her partner finally landed. The two women disembarked then began preparing themselves for the mystery that awaited them down below the streets of Kiev. Jill armed herself with two TMP's, a knife and a shotgun. In the pockets of her vest and belt were extra ammunition, ration bars, a small canteen, and her satellite phone. Sheva had chosen to arm herself with a 9mm Beretta, knife, shotgun, and a magnum. She also carried her extra ammunition and other necessities in the pockets of her vest. For their finishing touches they each grabbed a radio, which they clipped to their belts, and plugged into their corresponding headsets.  
“Ready?” Jill asked her partner.  
“As I'll ever be.” Sheva responded. They then turned and walked to the BSAA command center and checked in. With all the formalities out of the way the two women made their way over to the doors of the warehouse. A disabled security camera stared emptily at them from the west corner as they stepped inside. The surrounding room looked empty, but Jill could see faint cracks on the floor that suggested the presence of a lift of some sort. The blonde walked towards the cracks carefully, keeping alert for any signs of danger while also looking for the elevator controls. When she got about three feet from the first crack the floor shook. Two panels slid open in front of her and a small lift rose through the opening.  
“Stay close.” She said glancing behind her at Sheva. The younger woman nodded and closed the gap between them. Together they stepped onto the lift and inspected the controls. On a small stand were two green buttons, one that said 'up' and another that said 'down'. “Well here goes nothing.” The blonde muttered and pressed the down button. It glowed green and with a shudder the lift began to descend.

07:30am  
Kiev, Russia: Delta Facility

Sheva kept an eye on the corridor behind her as she and Jill moved silently towards a room labeled 'SECURITY'. So far they hadn't run into anything exciting. There was a lot of debris scattered about the floor as well as some rust colored stains. The same stains haphazardly covered the walls. Sheva knew it was blood and wondered where it had come from. There were no bodies or dead monsters...just the blood. Neo Umbrella seriously needed a new interior decorator. All the rooms they had passed and subsequently cleared had all been living spaces. Bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms etc. There was nothing on the walls to indicate where they were in the facility, which was weird since most of the ones she had been to usually had some kind of indicator like a floor level or a map with a big red dot that said 'You are here!'...she was kind of missing them.  
A glance ahead of her had her lips turning up in a smile. Jill was bent over trying to pick the lock of the security room, giving Sheva a nice view of her lover's shapely ass. The brunette whistled softly, but suggestively. Jill grinned at her over her shoulder and gave her butt a little shake. Sheva bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud and winked before returning her gaze to the hallway behind her. It had been a straight shot here from where the lift had dropped them off. They hadn't found any stairs or other means to take them to the deeper levels, a fact that was starting to set off alarm bells in the young African's head. If this place was yet another decoy she was seriously going to scream.  
“Got it.” Jill said softly. Sheva faced forward and followed the older woman into the security room. Directly across the room from them was a wall of monitors, all of which were turned off. Below them was a control board with an assortment of buttons, levers, and dials. Sheva stayed by the door and kept her eyes constantly moving, taking in her surroundings and watching for any signs of danger. Jill was the techie in their partnership so it was her job to figure out the next step. A strange buzzing sound made the brunette jump. She looked down at her vibrating pocket and chuckled before pulling out her satellite phone. The screen flashed a single name.  
“Hey Chris, what's up?” She motioned for Jill to continue working on the console as she took the call then turned her eyes to the hallway behind her.  
“I heard you were in Russia.” Her team leader's deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. At one point in time she had been seriously attracted to the older man and his voice still made her tingle in unmentionable places.  
“We are, damn cold too.” She replied rubbing at one of her exposed arms. Chris laughed.  
“Well I was calling to invite you and Jill out to my ranch in Montana. I'm bringing Leon out there tomorrow.”  
“Oh, Why is that?”  
“...This place really isn't good for him.” Chris replied after a long pause. Sheva's brow furrowed in concern. She really liked Leon and the thought of him struggling worried her. He was normally so strong.  
“Is he okay?”  
“Not really...I can't get into it right now. It would take too long and he's in the shower right now.”  
“Ah, so this is a secret conversation. Gotcha.” Sheva smiled to herself as Chris laughed in response.  
“Kind of. I found out Ellie moved to Glasgow, Montana, which is only a couple hours from my ranch and she's agreed to see Leon.”  
“Wasn't Ellie Jill's therapist?”  
“And mine. I still call her from time to time when something is bothering me.” Chris confirmed. “Leon only just agreed to seeing her, but he really doesn't want to.”  
“Sheva!” Jill's sharp tone made the brunette turn.  
“I'm going to have to call you back Chris, but we'll see you in Montana, just send us the coordinates, I mean address.” She hung up before he could laugh at her little blunder. She stared at the monitors that had come to life during her conversation. On almost every single one zombies like the ones from the deep basements of the Dakota facility shambled restlessly from room to room. “Damn.” Sheva swore softly.  
“So far I only see the T-virus.” Jill responded. “If we leave now they'll stay contained, but if we want what's in this office a few of them might get out.” She pointed at a screen that showed an office three levels down.  
“How do we even get there from here?” Sheva asked.  
“There's a camouflaged door in one of the rooms back the way we came that leads into the emergency stairwell. There isn't enough power to operate the elevator closest to the office so we would have to take the stairs down and cut through this hallway.” Jill pointed to another screen.  
“Why that office?”  
“See that computer on the desk? Its the only one I've seen that isn't broken.” Her lover replied. “I don't know what this place was used for, but it looks more corporate than lab.”  
“Lucky us.” Sheva muttered. “Well, lets get going.”  
“You want to go down?” Jill asked in surprise.  
“I want to know why those fuckers wanted Leon.” Sheva said grimly. “If that information is on that computer,” She pointed to the screen. “I want to get it.” Jill's lips turned up in a sunny smile.  
“That's my girl.” The older woman said fondly. Sheva blushed, looking away. Jill kissed her cheek as she walked past making the brunette smile. She followed her partner back down the corridor they had come from. They walked into one of the common areas they had already cleared. It was a large room meant for hanging out. There were large televisions on the walls, a bar in one corner, and an overabundance of comfy looking furniture. The only problem with the place was the blood and trash that covered everything. Sheva kept up her constant vigil as Jill walked to the back of the room. She pressed a button on something Sheva had thought was a thermostat and door sized panel slid open right next to it. As soon as it opened they heard it. The moaning of the damned.

08:30am  
Kiev, Russia: Delta Facility

Jill suppressed a shudder as the moaning reached her ears. Oh how she hated that sound. It brought back horrible memories of the Spencer mansion...and Wesker. She took a deep breath, ignoring the rotten stench that wafted up from the bowels of the facility, and took her first step towards the stairs. She sent a prayer up to whoever was watching and began her descent. The panel slid shut behind them startling both women. “Damn.” Sheva muttered. “Well, at least there's a button on this side too. Jill nodded in agreement then drew her TMP's. They were a comfortable weight in her hands and they made her heartbeat slow a little. Behind her she heard the soft scrape of metal against leather that told her Sheva had also drawn a weapon.  
At the first landing Jill disabled the door so that the zombies behind it would be unable to get out. She did the same at the second landing. It was a simple process, all she had to do was jam a small metal wedge into the crack on the outside edge so that the door would be unable to slide open. It wasn't the first time she'd worked with doors like these and was glad she had found the wedges in her pocket. She couldn't remember grabbing them and figured that they were left overs from her last mission. Normally she used them to keep doors from shutting rather than opening. She breathed a sigh of relief, now they wouldn't have to worry about death from above on their return trip.  
“What about the lower levels?” Sheva whispered when they reached the third landing. Jill paused as she reached for the button to open the door and frowned. There were two more levels beneath them, both filled with zombies. It would be a good idea, tactically, to go down and block those doors as well. She checked her supply of wedges and found that she only had one left.  
“Do you have any?” She asked softly holding up the dull wedge. Sheva bit her lip then began checking her pockets. Her face fell and she shook her head. That meant they could only block one door...unless they had something else in their pockets that would work as a substitute. Jill began taking inventory of what she had besides weapons and ammunition. Sheva saw what she was doing and began to do the same. Jill quickly came to the conclusion that nothing she had would work. Most of what she carried was either made of plastic or another material that was equally flimsy. She sighed in frustration  
“Got something.” Sheva whispered excitedly. From one of the pouches on her belt she produced a small ring of keys. “I don't know why I still have these. They're for my old place in Africa.” She smiled slightly as she held them up. “Think they'll work?”  
“Best option we have.” Jill said as her mind worked. If she jammed the keys in multiple places it might work. The keys were made of a softer metal than the wedges so it would be easier from them to break. “We'll use them on level five.” She whispered. That way if they failed to keep the door from opening the zombies would have two flights of stairs to climb instead of one. Sheva nodded before placing the keys back in her pouch. Jill turned towards the stairs and, after checking to make sure Sheva was following, started down them. The fourth floor door was taken care of in seconds.  
“I hope this works.” Sheva said quietly as she handed Jill her key ring.  
“Me too.” The blonde replied as she began freeing the keys from the ring. She jammed the flat end of the first key into the crack by the door. It was a tight fit, but it seemed to work. She quickly did the same thing with the four remaining keys then handed Sheva the empty ring. As they headed back up to level three Jill felt a chill run through her and hoped that they would make it out of this alive.

Chapter Five

A/N: I hope you guys are ready for some intense RE horror :) Sorry if the last chapter was a little boring. This one will be much better. Squeamish people should look away...although if you're squeamish you wouldn't be reading a Resident Evil fan fiction.

April 4th, 2010 09:15am  
Kiev, Russia: Delta Facility

Sheva licked her lips nervously and held her Beretta ready as Jill reached for the button to open the door to level three. She was more used to fighting the Las Plagas and Uroboros than zombies, so she was a little uneasy. “Just remember to shoot them in the head.” Jill said smiling warmly at her. Sheva nodded and adjusted her aim. Suddenly she smirked and glanced at Sheva mischievously. “Want to play a game?” She asked.  
“Game?” Sheva blinked in confusion. Why would they play a game now? This was a life and death situation.  
“Mmhmm. Whoever shoots the least gets tied up later.” Jill's eyes darkened slightly with lust as she looked Sheva up and down. The brunette flushed and felt a flood of warmth in her loins. “Whoever shoots the most gets to be on top.” Technically it was a win-win situation, but Sheva rarely wanted to be in charge in the bedroom. She did now. Sheva grinned impishly.  
“You're on.”  
“Good.” Jill's smirk widened. “You ready?” She asked reaching for the button to open the door.  
“Ready.” She whispered. Jill pressed the button and stepped back so that they were standing shoulder to shoulder. “I'll take the right.”  
“You got it Babe.” Jill took a deep breath as the door in front of them opened. Sheva's eyes widened and they both began to shoot. The hall beyond the door was choked to the brim with zombies. Their dull white eyes and rotting flesh made her want to puke. The stench, though, was the worst. On the stairs it hadn't been so bad, but as soon as that door opened her nose had been assaulted by the smell of decay. It was heavy and thick in the air, made worse as heads exploded with each round they fired. With their game in mind she took careful count of every zombie that dropped under a bullet from her gun.  
“Reloading!” Sheva cried as her magazine clicked empty. With a practiced move she thumbed the eject button while simultaneously reaching for a new mag. Jill continued to fire in controlled bursts as Sheva slammed the clip home and racked the slide to chamber the first round. A few minutes and two mags later the hallway was clear. As the shooting stopped Sheva became aware of a dull banging. It came from above and below them. “Guess we woke 'em up.” She grinned at Jill, who smirked back then they began the disgusting task of dragging the corpses away from where they had piled at the door. It was stupid to leave them in the way. They would probably have to run out of there and tripping over corpses was no fun.  
“What the fuck?” Jill cried suddenly. Sheva looked up and gasped. The corpse her lover had been dragging was slowly disintegrating right before their eyes. The young African quickly dropped the one in her hands as it to began to melt.  
“Well, at least now we know why there weren't any bodies upstairs.” The brunette snorted.  
“Corpses that clean up after themselves.” Jill mused, a sparkle in her eyes. “What will they come up with next?”  
“Ooh, I hope its a cleaner that can get monster guts out of clothing!” Sheva responded excitedly.  
“Or a shock collar that zaps a person when they even think about creating or releasing a virus.” Jill muttered, watching the rest of the corpses in the hallway disappear.  
“Aversion therapy works wonders.”  
“Helped me quit smoking.” Jill grinned.  
“How so?” Sheva cocked her head.  
“Chris told me to imagine a blackened lung every time I wanted one...then he showed me a picture.” The older woman shuddered. “I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked since.”  
“Gross.” The brunette muttered as she and her partner began walking down the hall towards the office with the computer. At each door they came to they repeated the process they'd used at the level's entrance. Soon they had the floor cleared and were standing behind the desk staring at a very nice computer. Jill sat down in the chair and turned the machine on. It whirred to life instantly. Sheva wrinkled her nose as the password screen popped up. She hated computers. Jill grinned and cracked her knuckles dramatically before getting to work. “I'm gonna check around for any paperwork.” The African said, patting her partner on the shoulder.  
“Mmmkay.” Jill responded absently. Sheva sighed and started going through the cabinets in the room. Mostly all she found were useless odds and ends, personal items, and office supplies. In the far corner she hit pay dirt. Lying buried under sheaves of printer paper was a binder with the Tricell logo on it. She carefully pulled it out and carried it over to the desk. Part of her wanted to read it, but she knew she needed to keep watch. If any of the doors failed to stay shut she needed to be prepared. Reading would distract her.  
“I'm going to check the other rooms.” She said after getting Jill's attention. The blonde frowned but nodded. Sheva crept silently to the room across the hall and began a new search. She came up empty so she closed the door and went to the next room. Nothing except blood and broken office equipment. The young African wrinkled her nose and crept to the next room. In it she found a filing cabinet containing personnel files. It would take too long to go through so she decided to move on and then come back.  
“I'm in.” Jill's voice in her ear made Sheva jump then giggle nervously. “You okay hon?”  
“Yeah, just startled.” Sheva replied. “I was getting used to the quiet.”  
“Can you hear anything from the other floors?”  
“Hold on.” The brunette walked with cat-like grace to the stairwell door and listened carefully. The banging had stopped. Sheva's heart picked up speed in her chest. “Its quiet.” She whispered.  
“Are they out?” There was a touch of panic in Jill's voice.  
“I can't tell.” Sheva replied worriedly. “I don't hear anything on the stairs.”  
“Okay. Shit, all the data is encrypted. I don't have time to do this here.”  
“Do you have a disk to copy everything on to?”  
“Yeah, but it isn't big enough.”  
“That's what she said.” Sheva snorted.  
“Bitch, that ain't what you said last night.” Jill giggled, ruining her gangster impression horribly. The brunette snorted again then straightened and returned to the room where Jill was. She pulled a couple flash drives from her pocket and set them on the desk.  
“Here, babe, I'm gonna keep watch out there.” Sheva bent down and kissed her lover long and hard. “Just wait till I get you home.” She murmured. Jill smirked up at her.  
“Oh, have I been naughty?” She asked. The look on her face made a shiver run up Sheva's spine.  
“No, but there's still time. I'm at 37” She grinned as Jill's nose wrinkled knowing her tally was higher than the older woman's, then turned and went back into the hallway. A clicking sound above her made her swear and run back to where Jill was.

10:05am  
Kiev, Russia: Delta Facility

Jill looked up as Sheva came running back into the room, slamming the door behind her. “What is it?” She asked quickly.  
“Lickers.” The brunette hissed. “I think they're in the vents.”  
“Shit.” Jill scanned the room quickly and sighed with relief when she saw no vent grate. Not having one gave them a small modicum of safety. “Do you know how many?”  
“No.” Sheva shook her head and holstered her Beretta. “I heard their damn clicking in the ceiling.” She grabbed her shotgun from the sling on her back and leveled it at the door. “How long until the download is finished?” Jill returned her attention to the computer.  
“At least another five minutes.” She replied with a heavy sigh. The first download was halfway complete, but she still had two more.  
“Damn I wish Leon were here.” Sheva swore. Jill silently agreed. The man had been amazing the last time they'd seen him fight. He'd taken down monsters left and right almost as though...she shook her head. There was no way Leon had been altered by Tricell. The doctors would have said something. Jill bit her lip and fidgeted, watching the download's progress anxiously. Why was it moving so slow? An idea sparked in her mind. She snatched up the other to drives and plugged them in. With a few clicks of the mouse she had the rest of the information downloading. She then brought up the security controls and clicked on the icon that would give her the video feed to the hallway outside the door. It was empty. She licked her lips nervously then began bringing up the feeds to the stairwell.  
“Shit!” She swore. Outside the door to level five two silver keys were lying on the floor. That left three still in place, but she could see that the door was vibrating as though someone were banging on it. “The keys aren't holding Sheva.”  
“Fuck!” The brunette snarled. “How many fell?”  
“Two...no three.” Jill replied as a third one hit the floor.  
“Damn. The downloads?”  
“Four minutes.” The blonde replied after checking. Luckily they hadn't slowed. She brought up the hallway camera and swore. “There's two Lickers outside the door.” Jill grabbed her shotgun from its sling and stood just as the monsters started attacking the door. She leaped over the desk and aimed low. The door split in half. The two women fired as one into the exposed brain tissue of the first creature. It shrieked in pain before slumping to the floor. Jill missed her next shot and cursed as a barbed tongue shot out, impaling Sheva's left shoulder. The younger woman cried out in pain. Jill snatched her knife from its sheath and darted forward, bringing the blade down with all her strength onto the muscled appendage imbedded in her lover's shoulder. The second Licker screamed as its tongue was sliced in half. Jill dropped into a crouch than leaped towards the thing, burying her knife into its brain.  
“Jill!” Sheva cried as the Licker's claws raked the front of the blonde's vest.  
“I'm fine.” Jill yelled over her shoulder as she used her knife to scramble the creature's brain. It went limp a moment later. “Thank God for Kevlar.” The claws hadn't done much more than rip open a couple of her pockets, luckily. She took the magazines from the now ripped pockets and slid them into a pouch on her belt then ran to Sheva. The younger woman's face was twisted in pain and she was clutching at her injured shoulder. “Got any spray?”  
“Yeah.” The brunette's voice was tight as she reached into a pouch and handed Jill a small canister of first aid spray. Jill helped her partner sit down then, after setting the can aside, ripped out the piece of tongue still lodged in the wound. Sheva whimpered in pain.  
“I'm sorry baby.” Jill soothed, then took Sheva's knife to cut away the fabric around the wound. She disinfected it with the spray, which also sealed it, stopped the bleeding and helped to numb the pain. Sheva sighed audibly, her eyes closing in relief. The older woman gently kissed the tears from her cheeks before getting back to her feet and running to the computer. Amazingly enough the downloads were completed. She carefully ejected the drives and put them in her pocket then checked the fifth floor stairwell camera. “Fuck! We gotta move honey!” Jill grabbed the Tricell binder than ran to her lover and helped her to her feet. There had been five keys on the floor and a dark opening where a door should have been.

10:55am  
Kiev, Russia: Delta Facility

Sheva hissed in pain as Jill pulled her to her feet. There was a loud moaning in the distance so she knew what had her partner so freaked. “Sorry the keys didn't work out.” She said as they ran.  
“Babe, if you hadn't had them we wouldn't have been able to finish the downloads.” Jill replied. They made it to the stairwell and had started up towards the second floor before they heard the footsteps behind them. The two women looked at each other then began to sprint up the stairs two at a time. As they passed the door on the first floor landing they saw the wedge fall to the floor. “Oops.” Jill laughed, grabbing Sheva's hand and dragging her up the last flight of stairs to the level they'd started at. For some reason whoever built the place had called this floor the Basement. The facility seemed to be designed like an upside down skyscraper. Unsettling and just plain weird. A red light blinked at her when Jill pressed the button to open the door. “Well shit.” She muttered then cracked open the casing. “Um, Sheva baby, I gotta mess with this door, can you keep 'em off for a minute or two?”  
“Sure thing.” Came the reply. It was almost drowned out by the roar of a shotgun. Jill grinned and began ripping out wires. It took her ten seconds to find the right combination. She whooped as the door slid open then grabbed the back of Sheva's vest and led her out of the stair well. Her luck continued when the door closed behind them. Both women were panting heavily, but smiling.  
“Lets get the fuck out of here.” They took their time getting to the lift. They were both exhausted and wanted nothing more than to lie down and go back to sleep.

A/N: Okay, so the retard who designed the facility was me. I forgot the top level while I was writing and was too lazy to go back and change the floor numbers haha. So next chapter I will be giving the girls some well deserved R&R. I don't know what the guys have going on at the moment because I am tired. Its almost two am right now. I'm gonna think on it for a bit, but don't worry Chris and Leon will be back in chapter Seven, I PROMISE!

Final Tally: Sheva-62 Jill- 49 (MWAHAHAHA)

 

Chapter Six

  
A/N: Poor Sheva...yeah I decided that they couldn't get through the facility unscathed lol. Lucky her though because she won the game haha. I will be attempting a F/F sex scene in this chapter. I have never written one before so this will be interesting haha. I have only written M/M before so this will be a different experience. Hopefully it turns out well.

  
April 8th, 2010 09:30pm  
Washington DC: Jill and Sheva's Apartment

  
Sheva stared at the floor while Jill ran around packing what they'd need for their trip to Montana. They were using a portion of the vacation time they had saved up so that she could recuperate from her injury and help Leon and Chris. Upon returning to the states they learned about Leon's disastrous first appointment with Ellie...and what had happened the next day. Chris told them that he had come into the house after mowing the lawn to find Leon sitting on the kitchen floor stabbing his own leg, repeatedly, with a knife. Luckily the wounds hadn't been very deep, but Leon didn't remember any of it. All he remembered was waking up from a nap and going to find Chris then nothing.  
Both women were worried, but Chris was at his wit's end. He needed them there as soon as possible so they could help him keep Leon from hurting himself again. He was also afraid that Leon was lying about not being able to remember. Sheva didn't think the man would lie about something like that. She'd had panic attacks before where she couldn't remember an hour or more of time, but she'd never hurt herself during those little blackouts. It had always happened at times when she was alone and overwhelmed by the fear that everyone had left her. She had a feeling that the same thing was happening to Leon and she wanted to get to Montana as soon as possible so she could help him through it. Jill and Chris didn't know what it was like, but she did and it was scary as hell.  
With a heavy sigh she raised her eyes from the floor and watched as Jill zipped up their suitcases. Sheva had been told she couldn't do anything to help pack because of her shoulder, which was still pretty sore and her arm was in a temporary sling. “I'm going to go set these by the door.” Jill said tiredly as she picked up the suitcases and carried them out of the room. The older woman had been angry to hear of Leon's treatment of Ellie Sanderson, who had also been her therapist, but she'd calmed down a while ago and now just seemed exhausted. Leon was going through hell right then and, in Sheva's opinion, the question Ellie had asked him had been rude and totally uncalled for. The man might not be able to express his emotions as easily as others, but that didn't mean he was a cold-hearted bastard. He was not the kind of person who reached out for human contact anyway so in Sheva's mind the fact that he even wanted Chris around was proof enough that Leon loved him. When Jill came back in the room Sheva decided that she wanted to take both their minds off of what was going on in Montana. With a sly smile she slipped off her sling and rose from the edge of the bed.

10:00pm  
Washington DC: Jill and Sheva's Apartment

Jill frowned when she saw that Sheva had taken off her sling. She was about to tell her to put it back on when she saw the look in her lover's eyes. Her pupils had dilated and she was walking purposefully towards the blonde woman. “Do you remember our game?” The young African's accent made the words a sensual purr that had heat pooling between Jill's legs.  
“Uh, which game?” She asked numbly, backing up under the intense heat in Sheva's gaze. The other woman laughed softly. They both knew which game she was talking about.  
“I won, you know.” Sheva purred, sliding her arms around Jill's waist and pulling her closer. “At last count I had sixty-two, what was yours...dear?”  
“Forty-nine.” Jill replied breathlessly as Sheva nipped at her neck.  
“Do you remember my prize?”  
“Yes.” The blonde moaned softly, tilting her neck back.  
“Good. Get on the bed.” Sheva pinched her ass gently making the older woman yelp. Jill decided to obey. It was only fair since she was the one who had lost...not for lack of trying. Her guns just weren't as accurate as Sheva's, nor was her aim as good. She got by well enough, better than most men, but the African woman was, quite depressingly, a better shot. She was even better than Chris. Leon had all three of them out classed though. “Take off your clothes.” Sheva's voice broke through her thoughts. Jill paused and removed her clothing before climbing onto the bed.  
“Where do you want me?” She asked shyly. Normally she was more confident in the bedroom, but she was also usually in control of the situation. It was rare for Sheva to take the more dominant role, so she wasn't sure what to do. The younger woman slipped out of her own clothes then walked over to the bed, her warrior's body sleek and rippling sensuously.  
“Lie down on your back.” Sheva commanded gently then began rummaging in the nightstand as Jill obeyed. She pulled out four silk ties. Carefully she tied each of Jill's limbs to the corners of the bed, just tight enough so that she couldn't slip free, but not enough that it would be painful. Jill tested the bonds then settled back. She could feel a throbbing between her legs and moaned trying to press them together, but Sheva crawled between them with a soft laugh. Her soft hands slid up Jill's thighs and gently pushed them down and apart. Her eyes roamed over the now exposed apex of the blonde's body. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched those dark eyes move. “Beautiful.” Sheva whispered. One of her hands slid up and Jill gasped as warm fingers touched her center. “So wet already.” Sheva's fingers slid between her moist folds gently. Jill moaned, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the pillows as a thumb began massaging her clit. She couldn't believe how close she already was. Sheva's fingers curled inside of her,  
“Ooooh.” Jill groaned as they began moving fast against her g-spot then cried out and arched off the bed as she came. She felt an arm press down on her hips and the fingers insider her began to move even faster. Jill screamed and thrashed under the pleasurable onslaught until she hit a second climax and felt the fingers leave her. She looked up through watery eyes and watched Sheva lick her hand clean then crawl up her body. Jill kissed the younger woman back hungrily as soon as Sheva's lips touched hers.  
“God, you taste amazing.” The African murmured, trailing kisses down her neck. I feel amazing, Jill thought distractedly as Sheva's mouth latched on to her left breast. She moaned as the younger woman began to suckle gently. God how she hated the ties around her wrists. She longed to run her hands through Sheva's dark hair and over her skin. She could feel their groins moving against each other and hear Sheva's quiet moans of pleasure. A shudder passed through the brunette and she keened softly, raising her head from Jill's breast. Her dark eyes caught the older woman's gaze. They were filled with a loving warmth that left Jill breathless.  
“I love you.” The blonde whispered.

10:30pm  
Washington DC: Jill and Sheva's Apartment

“I love you too.” Sheva murmured leaning up to take Jill's lips in her own once again. She had climaxed once already to the older woman's twice, but she knew both of them wanted more. The one nice thing about being a woman was the amount of orgasms they could have so close together. Unlike men who were one and done most of the time. She supposed it was God's way to make up for the rest of the shit women had to deal with like child birth. Jill's tongue against her own shook the thoughts from her mind, allowing her to regain her focus on what she wanted to do to the other woman.  
With a soft sigh she pulled away and slipped off the bed. There was a toy she had been longing to use on Jill and had been waiting for a time just like this. She had purchased the double headed dildo before they'd gone down into the Dakota facility with Leon and had meant for it to be a Valentine's Day gift for Jill, but with everything that had gone down the past few months she'd never gotten the chance to use it. It had been hidden in a shoe box under the bed since she'd bought it. Smiling to herself she unwrapped the device then cleaned it carefully with a baby wipe. She and Jill kept a package by the bed for easy clean ups after sex.  
“I have something special.” Sheva purred, hiding the dildo behind her back as she crawled in between Jill's legs.  
“Oh?” The other woman smiled. “What would that be?” Sheva held up the dildo and smirked when Jill's eyes widened then darkened with lust. The African slid one end into her lover's dripping center. Jill moaned, spreading her legs then whimpered as Sheva thumbed a button to turn on the vibration. “Fuck!” The blonde gasped as Sheva moved the dildo in and out. Her body arched deliciously. Sheva's breath hitched as she watched Jill moan and squirm before her. After a moment she slid her legs beneath Jill's then scooted forward until she could insert the other end of the dildo into herself. She moaned as it filled her then leaned back on her elbows and moved her hips up and down. The dildo moved inside both of them and she heard Jill cry out as she came for a third time. Sheva trembled through her second climax, but she didn't want to stop yet. She moved her hips harder creating even more friction between them. A few moments later they cried out at the same time and Sheva collapsed against the bed gasping for air. After collecting herself she pulled the dildo out then set about untying her lover. Jill's lips crashed into hers and she felt herself being pushed backwards into the bed. “I need to touch you.” The older woman whispered, running her hands all over Sheva's dark skin.  
Jill moved lower, kissing a heated trail down her neck and breasts, past her stomach. Sheva moaned as the other woman's mouth hovered over her clit and a talented tongue snaked out to lick the small bundle of nerves. She spread her legs and relished every sensation running through her as Jill licked and sucked. Too soon she was crying out in release, her entire body arching off the mattress. “God, I love you!” She gasped out, dragging Jill up to kiss her passionately.  
“I love you too.” Jill murmured against her lips. “Time for sleep now.” Sheva nodded in agreement. They cleaned themselves up then crawled into bed. Within minutes they were asleep in each other's arms.

April 9th, 2010 03:05pm  
Glasgow, Montana; Glasgow International Airport

Jill threw her arms around Chris's neck with a soft squeal of happiness. She kissed him on the cheek before stepping back and allowing Sheva to greet him. She looked around and frowned. “Where's Leon?” She asked not seeing the blonde man.  
“He's waiting in the car.” Chris replied with a sigh. “He wouldn't come in here without a gun and since they kind of frown on that sort of thing he decided to just wait where he was.”  
“Why would he need one here?”  
“Jill, he walks around the house with a gun sticking out of his jeans and sleeps with one under his pillow. The guy has major trust issues.”  
“Understandable.” Sheva put in, looking at them both with a frown. “May I remind you that after Africa you two had a very similar reaction. I distinctly remember you, Chris, pulling a gun on some random person who bumped into you on the street.” The brunette man flushed and rubbed the back of his head uneasily. “Yeah, so let's get out there. I want to give that man a hug.” She smiled and took Jill's hand then began leading her towards the baggage claim. Chris followed after them his head hung low. It took another twenty minutes to get their luggage then they headed out to the parking structure where Chris had left both his car and Leon.  
Jill supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that the car was empty when they got there. Chris began swearing loudly then pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Faint music issued from inside the car. “FUCK!” Chris yelled, kicking the back tire.  
“Calm down Redfield.” Chris and Jill spun at the voice behind them, but Sheva only giggled. Leon was walking towards them the ghost of a smile on his lips.  
“Did you seriously just tell me to calm down?!” Chris spluttered. “You say you'll wait in the car and I get here-” Leon put a hand over the older man's mouth.  
“My leg was getting cramped. I walked to that pole over there.” He pointed to a pillar about thirty feet away, well within sight of the car. “Use your eyes genius.” Leon gave the other man a crooked half smile before letting him go. Jill glanced at her lover who was still laughing.  
“What?” The young African asked with a grin. “Its good to see you Leon.” She gave him a hug that he only half returned. Jill decided to not even try. She just held out her hand. There was a grateful look in his eyes as he reached out to shake it. His skin was cold, which made her frown inwardly. The last time she'd shaken his hand it had been warm and he'd at least smiled...that was only a few months ago. So much had changed since then and Jill wondered if he'd ever be the same again, although now that she thought about it even back then he hadn't been in a good place.  
The women handed their suitcases to Chris, who put them in the trunk while they climbed into the backseat. Once everyone was in the car Chris drove out of the parking garage and they were on their way. Jill and Sheva began recounting their excursion into the Delta facility in Russia. Chris expressed surprise and shock, but there was nothing from Leon, except a sharp look at Sheva when he heard that she'd been wounded. When she'd reassured both men that she was fine he had gone back to looking out the window. Two hours later they were pulling up to Chris's ranch.

 

 


	3. Chapter 7-9

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**Chapter Seven**

 

** April 10 th 03:13am **

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Leon stared up at the ceiling trying to breathe normally. Once again a nightmare had ripped him from sleep, but this one had been different from the others. It had been a memory. One that he had forgotten during the long month he had stayed in Tricell's clutches. Before he had woken up in the Vermont facility he had been somewhere else. He glanced at Chris's sleeping profile then slipped silently from the bed. After pulling on some clothes he left the room and silently walked down the hall to the guest room Jill and Sheva shared.

Earlier in the evening he had heard the three BSAA agents talking about Neo Umbrella. They had been discussing how it was related to Tricell. There were two theories. The first was that the underground organization had somehow infiltrated the pharmaceutical corporation and twisted it for its own means. The second was that they had created Tricell as a front to gain resources to fund their gruesome research. Leon didn't care  _how_ they were affiliated. All he cared about was finding out what they had done to him because he knew his state of mind was not natural. The almost constant state of panic  _could_ be considered PTSD, but Leon had a feeling that it was something else. He had never been prone to injuring himself before. Blackouts, sure. Panic attacks, hell yeah. Self mutilation and a sudden craving for pain...no. There was something wrong with him. Neo Umbrella's scientists had messed with his head somehow, and information that could help him figure it out was on Jill's computer...the one she kept with her at all times.

Leon slipped silently into their room and ghosted across the floor towards the desk where Jill's laptop was. He lifted the computer quietly and left the room with Jill and Sheva none the wiser. Personally he didn't understand why he hadn't woken them. They were trained agents for God's sake. He took the computer into the dining room and sat down at the table. Jill's security on it was a joke. It took him only seconds to get in.

A folder labeled 'Suspected NU Sites' on the desktop caught his eye. He clicked on it and scanned the list quickly, not seeing anything immediately recognizable. Delta stood out, but only because the women had been talking about it in the car ride here. Then he saw the name 'OMEGA' and a wave of nausea went through him. He clutched at the table and breathed through it, staring at the name on the screen. Images of white walls and harsh fluorescent lighting flashed through his mind followed by needles and glowing liquids. Unable to hold it back any longer Leon stumbled into the bathroom closest to him and retched into the toilet as quietly as he could.

After rinsing his mouth and flushing the toilet he went back to the computer and clicked on the 'OMEGA' folder. An image of the outside of the facility popped up. It looked like a decrepit old mansion and was reminiscent of the old Spencer Estate. The accompanying text gave the address and stated that no facility was found. “Bull.” Leon spat.

“What's bull?” A soft accented voice asked from behind him. Leon spun in his chair to find Sheva standing in the hall with a half smile on her face. He wondered when she'd woken up. “I heard you get sick.” She said seeing the question in his eyes.

“Sorry.”

“Don't be, Leon, its fine.” She walked over and took a seat next to him. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the laptop. “That's Jill's.” She gasped. Leon put a hand over her mouth and looked around guiltily.

“Yes.” He put a finger to his lips and only pulled his hand away from her mouth when she nodded in understanding.

“When did you get it? Why?” She whispered a little angrily.

“I...” He trailed off with a frown. “I remembered something in a dream. A place where I was before I woke up in the Vermont facility.” His eyes moved to the picture on screen. “I heard you guys talking about a list of other facilities you had looked into.”

“So why steal Jill's computer?”

“I needed to see the list and I didn't want to wake anyone in case it was nothing.” Leon sighed. “Fuck, Sheva, my head is so screwed up right now and I just want to know why.”

“PTSD, Leon, its only-”

“No.” He snapped, a little louder than he'd intended. “It isn't just that. Part of it, maybe, but...” He trailed off as Jill and Chris walked up the hall then lowered his head to the table in defeat. “Fuck.”

“You could have just asked.” He heard Jill say.

“I get that.” Leon muttered darkly.

“Omega was empty by the way.” She added coming over to stand behind Sheva. “We couldn't find a-”

“You weren't looking hard enough.” Leon snapped, raising his head and glaring at them.

“Calm down Leon.” Chris sighed. “What's going on with you?”

“Someone fucked with my head.” He was practically shouting now...so much for the man who never lost his cool. It had been happening to many times of late and he was sick of it. He  _hated_ not being in control. His heart began pounding in his chest. Leon gripped the table and began taking slow ragged breaths. In his minds eye he could still see the dirty corridors full of cobwebs and debris. Golden keys and doors behind walls. Somehow he needed to get there and the only way to do that was through Chris...unless he stole the car, which was not a good plan.

“I've been trying to explain about PTSD.” Sheva was saying. Leon had the sudden urge to shoot her in the face. He lifted his eyes to the screen of Jill's laptop, focusing on the address. West Virginia near the Monongahela National Forest. Well he wasn't getting _there_ without help. The others were talking around him, but he tuned them out. He needed a plan and he needed one fast.

“Leon, if they had done something to you the doctors would have seen it.” Chris said gently.

“Don't treat me like a child Redfield.” Leon turned to him angrily. “I know my mind and I know that the shit that's going on is  _not_ normal.”

“Dude, you've been through a trauma-”

“Quit with the psycho babble bull shit.” He swore, getting to his feet. “Will you please just listen to me for one goddamn minute!” Chris blinked at him in surprise. “Jill, do you have any pictures of the inside of this place?” He pointed at the exterior photo of the Omega site. She nodded and leaned forward to click on a link in the file. Leon sat back down and began clicking through the interior shots that came up. A sense of relief washed over him as he began recognizing the hallways and architecture. “I'm not crazy.” He whispered. His eyes widened as the next photo came up. It was of what used to be a library. Moldy books covered the dark shelving.

“You recognize this place?” Sheva asked suddenly. He nodded.

“That's what I was trying to tell you. Before I woke up in that damn forest I was somewhere else.” He pointed at the screen. “I was here, in the Omega facility.”

“But there wasn't anything there.” Jill said a little angrily. “We went over that building with a fine tooth comb. We had radar and everything. Are you sure its  _this_ building?”

“Take me there.” Leon spun in his chair to look at Chris. “If I'm wrong then fine I'll go commit myself or something, but if I'm right then we can finally get some answers for what Neo Umbrella is up to.”

 

**04:05am**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Chris looked into Leon's eyes. There was a determination shining in them that had been absent for months. His lover's eyes had always looked either empty or filled with rage and pain. Even during sex there was rarely any emotion expressed in their blue-gray depths. Just seeing him like this was almost enough for Chris to say yes and immediately take him where ever he wanted to go, but he knew the younger man wasn't ready yet. There were wounds on both of his thighs and hands. Sheva was also injured, so leaving in the next day or so was out of the question.

“You aren't seriously considering this are you?” Jill asked incredulously. Chris understood her feelings. She didn't want to be wrong about something that was her job to be right about. He could also tell she was angry still and she had every right to be. Leon had snuck into her room to get the laptop and had broken into it without permission. The brunette man sighed, running his hands through his hair. Emotions were running high and they were all tired. Now was not a good time to be discussing this, but he needed to say something.

“We'll talk about this later.” He finally said. Anger flashed in Leon's eyes...there was a little pain there too and Chris had a feeling he knew what the other man was thinking. “Leon, I'm not saying no, I just feel like we should get some sleep, calm down and discuss this when we're all a bit more level-headed.” Jill closed her laptop with an angry snap then took it and stalked off down the hall with Sheva close on her heels. Chris slid into the young African's recently vacated chair then reached over and took Leon's hands in his. “I want to help you in any way I can, Rookie, please don't think that I don't trust or love you.” Leon lifted his gaze to meet Chris's eyes. “If you want to go to that place we can, I just think it needs to wait a week or two. Sheva's injured, and you aren't completely healed either. Going now would be suicidal. We need to be at the top of our game, physically at least, before we head into a Neo Umbrella facility.”

“You believe me then?” Leon whispered.

“I saw you recognize that place, kid, there's something there. I don't know what it is, but I'm willing to find out.” Chris replied honestly. In the next second Leon's arms were around his neck and they were dangerously close to falling onto the floor. He carefully scooped the younger man up into his arms and brought him to bed. Once they were lying down he gently brushed the hair from Leon's face and smiled down at him. “Next time you remember something, please tell me.”

“...I'm just used to working on my own.” Leon closed his eyes as Chris caressed the side of his face. “I've never really been part of a team before and I don't play well with others.”

“I've noticed.” Chris chuckled, leaning forward to press his lips against the younger man's. Leon's body molded to his as he returned the kiss passionately. Their tongues dueled for dominance and for the first time since they'd gotten together Leon won their little dance. The blonde pushed Chris onto his back and straddled the larger man's waist, his hands gripping the other's wrists and pinning them to the bed. Chris groaned as heat flooded through him to pool in his groin and he arched up into the younger man.

 

**04:30am**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Leon broke from the kiss breathing heavily and stared down into Chris's blue eyes that were darkened with lust. Oh how he loved this man. Everything paining him faded when they were together like this. It was something he had never believed he'd have. Sure he'd dreamed and hoped that someday he would have someone who would love and hold him. Someone who would make him forget about the horrors of his life. For a long time he thought that person would be Ada, but even before she died he knew they were never meant to be together. They were too similar. Always alone, rarely emotional, cold, calculating, and distant. They had trusted each other and felt passion in the other's embrace, but love was never in the cards. What he'd had with her was special and he missed her deeply. What he had with Chris was even more special and he would die if anything happened to the older man.

He leaned down and kissed Chris again. Words always failed him when trying to explain how he felt and he knew from experience that actions spoke louder than words ever could. To express what he felt in his heart he needed to  _show_ it. So he took Chris's hands and placed them on his hips then kissed him with everything he had. He needed the brunette lying beneath him like he needed air. Without him he would flounder and die...or just go crazy. Neither option sounded very pleasant and he knew it wasn't healthy to need someone this badly, but need him he did. There was no changing it. He didn't  _want_ to change it. His life had been so empty until Chris had fallen into it and Leon didn't want to go back to that life. He wanted to build a new one.

“I love you.” He murmured against the older man's lips, reaching up to to run his hands over the stubble along Chris's jaw. He felt the other man's hands tighten on his hips then a hard bulge pressed at him from the rear. A small smile graced his lips as he sat up to lean against it. “Let me show you.” He then stripped them both down to their skin and reached for the lube.

“We don't have to have sex for me to know that you love me.” Chris said quietly, putting his large hands over Leon's and taking the bottle from him. He set it to the side then pulled the younger man down onto his chest and wrapped his arms around his thin torso. “I definitely enjoy it, but that's not how I know.” He kissed Leon's face gently. The blonde felt confusion settle in. “I hear you say it.”

“Words don't mean much.” Leon muttered.

“It depends on who says them and if they mean it.” Chris responded. “How do you know if I love you without me saying it?”

“I see it in your eyes.” Leon whispered, lifting his head. “I can feel it when you hold me and keep me from breaking.” He watched Chris's eyes widen in surprise. “I know I don't show it outwardly, Chris, I'm not very good at it. I can say it with words, but they don't have meaning without action.” Leon stared into the other man's eyes for a long moment then took a deep breath and decided to lay his heart bare. “I was dead inside before you came along Chris. I was always alone and never safe, but now that I'm with you I can feel parts of me coming back to life that I haven't felt since before Raccoon City. When you touch me the world fades away and nothing else matters except this moment that I have with you. It makes everything I've gone through bearable.” A tear rolled down his cheek, but he ignored it. “I  _need_ you Chris. I need you like I need to breathe. I don't know what I would do without you.” Chris's mouth crashed into his and Leon felt their positions being reversed.

“You'll never have to find out.” The brunette whispered roughly. There were tears in his eyes that dripped onto Leon's face. “You're mine now, Leon, and I will  _never_ let you go. I fucking love you so much.” Leon pulled him back into a kiss and wrapped his legs around the larger man's waist. He heard the lube and seconds later felt two fingers penetrating him. He moaned and arched into the sensations running through him. Soon he felt them leave and Chris's erection thrust into him. He threw his head back with a soft cry and clutched at the older man's shoulders. He rarely felt pain from their coupling now, just a pleasure so intense that he was left breathless every time. Leon reached up and pulled Chris's lips to his as tears poured down his cheeks. 

“I love you.” He moaned when Chris began to thrust into him slow and sweet. They soon reached their climax and collapsed in each other's arms gasping for air. Neither wanted to move, but out of mutual need they got up and took a shower. When they fell back into bed both were asleep almost instantly.

 

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** A/N:  ** I'm not trying to make this story all about sex I  _ promise _ lol. The next few chapters will have more story and angst and FEELS!! lol oh gawd the feels. 

 

 

 

  


**Chapter Eight**

 

** April 10 th , 2010 02:00pm **

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Chris watched Leon through the window. Since getting up that morning the younger man had been completely silent. At the moment he was sitting in one of the chairs out on the porch, staring off into the forest lost in thought. Neither of the girls had even tried to speak to him, which was understandable if you didn't know the kind of person Leon was. The Government agent was used to working on his own. It never occurred to him that it would be better to ask permission before taking the computer while the women were sleeping, so he did what was easier for him. He snuck in and got what he needed, although how he got in and out without waking the girls escaped Chris. That was something _he_ could never do. Sure he was pretty good at sneaking, but Leon could move like a ghost. With a sigh he turned from the window and went into the kitchen where Jill and Sheva were making lunch.

“I still don't understand why he didn't just ask.” Jill was saying. “I would have let him use the computer...not at three in the fucking morning, but still.” Sheva shrugged in response then noticed Chris in the doorway.

“Do you?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I do, but he can explain for himself when he's ready.”

“Fine, but there's nothing in that stupid old mansion.” Jill wrinkled her nose. “Well except for the dust and cobwebs.”

“There's more.” All three BSAA agents jumped at Leon's quiet voice. Chris turned to find the younger man standing behind him.

“Jesus, make more noise when you walk or something!” The larger man exclaimed. Leon's lips twitched as he met Chris's eyes.

“How do you know there's more to that place?” Jill asked. “There was a whole team of BSAA agents going through it with radar, x-ray machines, and even dogs.”

“This is Umbrella we're dealing with.” Leon replied calmly. “They know all the tricks to evade detection. I know you don't believe I was there, but I can prove it to you. I've remembered a lot more today.” He ran a slightly shaky hand through his hair. “One side of the mansion is collapsed right?” Jill and Sheva looked at each other then back at him in surprise. “There's a huge library at the end of a hallway that leads into a huge maze of hedges.”

“How did you- We couldn't get any pictures of the maze because it was too dark in there.” Both women looked shocked.

“I remember the smell.” Leon said quietly. “Damp and earthy. I think I was dragged through it because I don't remember walking.” His eyes grew a little distant. “I was barely with it, but I think that's where they took me after we got out of the Dakota facility. I can't remember much more than that. That maze is the last thing I can remember before waking up in that forest.”

“You're sure there's a facility there?” Jill asked, her brows furrowed. Leon nodded. “Damn they hid the entrance well then.” Her lips pursed. “It must be somewhere in that maze.” Chris saw some of the tension leave Leon at the words. “Let's eat and then we'll talk more.” She half smiled at Leon. “You've got some explaining to do kiddo.”

 

**0230pm**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Lunch was nice. The food was good and the conversation stayed away from anything serious. Leon was dreading the discussion to come. He knew he needed to apologize to Jill and Sheva, but he wasn't sure how to explain his actions. It wasn't something he was used to. Over the years he had worked for the Government he'd never answered to anyone except for the President...and he had even kept secrets from _him_. His file said he was part of the Secret Service, but the truth was complicated. Sometimes he worked as a bodyguard. Most of the time, though, he worked on his own in dangerous places putting down agents of Neo Umbrella. In a way he was an assassin. It wasn't something he was proud of, but it helped keep the world safe.

Because of his work he had learned a lot about Neo Umbrella. It was amazing what people would say when they thought he would spare their life. Most of what he knew was slightly fuzzy, though, like his brain didn't want to remember and he had a feeling his panic attacks and blackouts were a side effect. They had done something to him down in the Omega facility. Something to make him forget and Leon wanted to know what and why. He didn't like feeling like he was losing his mind, but now that he had something to focus on he felt a bit more clear headed. He watched the girls clean up lunch then the four of them went to the living room to talk.

“I need to apologize.” Leon said quietly after taking a deep breath to steady himself. “I'm not used to relying on others or asking for help...or permission.” He stared at the floor, wrestling with what he wanted to say. “To be honest it didn't even occur to me to ask. I woke up this morning confused and needing information. I was working on instinct. I knew where I could get the information I needed so I just...” He trailed off no longer wanting to speak. “I'm sorry.”

“All is forgiven.” Jill said. When he looked up both she and Sheva were smiling warmly. His attempt to smile back was weak, but he actually felt better now that he had explained his actions and apologized. “I overreacted a little, so I apologize for that. I really hate being wrong.” She sighed. “But I'm pretty sure that we missed something in that mansion.”

“Yeah.” Sheva nodded in agreement. “We relied too much on the technology we brought. If they gave us false readings then we need to go back in there.”

“Not for another week or two.” Chris interjected. “You aren't completely healed from the injury you got in Russia, and Leon here has some cuts that need time to heal as well.” He squeezed his lover's shoulder. “It wouldn't hurt to do some training as well.” He added quietly. Leon understood this and nodded. He needed to get back in shape. The past couple of months had not been kind to him. He'd lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. Before he went to the Omega facility he had a lot of work to do.

“Ugh, I hate it when you're right.” Sheva wrinkled her nose at the big man. All the tension had left the air making it easier for Leon to relax. He listened as they made plans for their trip into Omega. It was decided that they would contact their superiors at the BSAA so that they wouldn't be going in without backup. Leon wasn't sure how he felt about this. He didn't really want the BSAA involved and since he was used to working without backup or plans of any kind he didn't have anything to input, except one thought. It kind of made him want to laugh.

“You do remember that you're all on vacation right?” He snorted, unable to stay quiet any longer. All three agents looked at him blankly. “If you tell the...uh whoever you wanted to tell at the BSAA about Omega, are they really going to send you guys? Why not some other team that's actually on active duty?”

“Shit.” Chris swore. Jill and Sheva frowned at each other. He just watched them with amusement.

“Just don't tell them until the last minute. I can get the gear with the...um connections I have.” Leon didn't want to tell them he bought most his guns on the black market. He would if he had to, but he felt it was better if they believed the connections he had were with the Government. Chris looked at him with a frown.

“That isn't how we operate Leon. It wouldn't be safe to go in there without alerting the BSAA beforehand. They need time to get resources in place in case of an outbreak.” Ah, the legal way. Leon sighed then shrugged.

“Fine.” He got to his feet. “Let me know what you figure out. I'm going for a run.” That said he walked down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Chris where he changed his clothes. After grabbing his gun he headed outside and began jogging towards the forest. Sure there was a road he could run on, but he'd rather have the trees around him. Despite his time spent in the forest at the Vermont facility he actually felt pretty safe...the gun helped, and it felt good to run again.

His feet pounded the dirt as he raced through the forest. He wasn't following any kind of trail and often had to jump over fallen logs. It was almost an hour before he came to a stop, breathing heavily and looking at the trees around him. All he could hear was the wind, birds and the sound of his own harsh breathing. In that moment he felt alive. His heart was racing in his chest and adrenaline coursed through his veins, heightening his senses. He didn't care that he had no idea where he was or how far he'd run. All that mattered was the peace surrounding him so he just stood there and absorbed it. A calm that had been missing for a long time settled within him. Even the knowledge that he was alone couldn't shatter it. The panic that had always come over him when Chris was gone from his side was nowhere to be found. The thought put a smile on his face. For the moment his mind was once again under his control.

After a while he decided to head back. The others would start to worry soon and he'd rather not face their questions. He looked around trying to decide in which direction he should go. When none stood out he walked to the tallest tree he could find and began climbing. Once at the top he could see the top of Chris's house to the south of his position. With a grin he climbed halfway down the tree then leaped to the one directly south of him. It was strange, but he kind of missed this from his time in the facility. It was fun and challenging, more fun now that there were no monsters chasing him...it was also an excellent work out.

 

**05:30pm**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Chris paced on the porch. Leon had left his phone behind when he'd gone on his run and with it starting to get dark the older man was beginning to worry. He didn't want Leon to get lost in the woods at night. There were wild animals out there that were dangerous. He knew his lover had brought a gun with him, but that didn't make him worry any less.

“He still not back?” Jill asked worriedly, walking out onto the porch.

“Nope.” Chris sighed. The sound of a stick breaking echoed through the air, then he heard the unmistakable sound of Leon laughing. The brunette man turned quickly in the direction from which the sounds had come and saw the younger man come walking out of the forest. He was grinning and brushing off his pants. When he got closer Chris could see small twigs and leaves sticking out of his dark blonde hair. There was a mischievous light sparkling in his blue-gray eyes as he walked up onto the porch and stopped in front of Chris. The sight of him was both breath taking and ridiculous. Chris wasn't sure if he wanted to yell at the other man, laugh, or ravish him. He settled for smiling. “Get lost?”

“Maybe a little.” Leon admitted with a crooked grin. “You gonna yell at me?”

“Nah, I can always just punish you later.” Chris grinned with a suggestive wink.

“I'm outta here!” Jill exclaimed with a laugh and ran back into the house. Both men ignored her.

“Oh, well in that case I should also tell you I fell out of a tree.” Leon smirked as the grin faded from Chris's face.

“You hurt?”

“Nope...well do scratches count?” He held up his arms that were now sporting a few light scratches, but nothing serious.

“Go take a shower wild man.” Chris laughed. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Good I'm starving.” The blonde kissed him hard before pulling away and waltzing into the house. Chris stood there speechless for a moment wondering what the hell was going on. Leon left looking depressed and came back acting like he was on top of the world. He turned and walked into the house. Jill and Sheva were laughing in the kitchen, probably at him, but he didn't care. He walked down the hall to where he could hear the shower running.

 

**05:45pm**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Leon scrubbed the dirt and sweat from his body then began painstakingly combing the debris from his hair. He'd almost laughed when he'd seen the state of it in the mirror. Normally he took good care of his appearance, but he'd been lacking the will to over the past couple of months. He heard the bathroom door open and glanced over to see Chris's hulking frame on the other side of the glass shower door. He smirked as the other man stripped and climbed into the shower with him. “You dirty too?” He asked, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes. “Or am I about to get punished?” Chris's eyes darkened with desire as they roamed over him. Suddenly he found himself shoved against the shower wall with his arms pinned above his head. The older man's mouth crashed into his and Leon suppressed a moan as their naked groins met.

“Get on your knees.” Chris growled, biting the smaller man's lower lip. Leon tried not to smile as Chris released his wrists and he slid his hands down the other man's body as he obeyed. “Now suck.” The older man groaned. Leon took the erection in front of him in one hand and pulled it to his lips. With a smirk he licked the tip teasingly. Chris's breath hitched, but he was smiling. “Don't tease or I'll have more to punish you for.” Leon laughed. His lover's idea of punishment was not as bad as it sounded and it involved way more pleasure than pain. In all reality it was a win-win situation and Leon was feeling way to good to allow Chris to have his way at the moment. The spark of life he had been missing since even before the traumatic events of the past year was burning in his chest. He hadn't felt this good since...well before Raccoon City, which was strange because the past few months had been the worst of his life.

He dragged himself from his thoughts to focus on the task at hand. With soft touches and occasional licks he teased Chris mercilessly and only laughed at the growls coming from his lover's throat. A strong hand gripped his hair signaling to him that playtime was over. He opened his mouth as Chris thrust his hips forward. The tip of his erection hit the back of Leon's throat and the younger man swallowed it past his gag reflex, which was mostly non existent. “I said stop teasing.” Chris growled playfully. Leon lifted his eyes to the older man's and hummed softly. “Fuck!” The brunette exclaimed, his hips jerking as the vibrations of Leon's voice traveled up his cock. Both of Chris's large hands latched onto the younger man's hair and he began to rock his hips back and forth, slowly fucking Leon's mouth. He reached up to grip Chris's hips and relaxed his jaw so that it would be less sore later. “Touch yourself.” The command was ground out through clenched teeth.

Leon let go of Chris and, without taking his eyes off the other man's, reached between his legs. He gently stroked his own weeping erection, moaning softly, and tried not to close his eyes. Chris watched him, his breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps. Leon moaned again and closed his eyes. He was so close. Chris swore again and the blonde felt hot liquid spill down his throat. He swallowed automatically then Chris grabbed him by the arms and dragged him to his feet for a world shattering kiss. A moment later he felt Chris's hand on his cock and after a few hard strokes he came with a soft cry that was swallowed by the older man's mouth.

 

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**A/N:** I say this story isn't about sex and then I go and do  _ that. _ *Rolls eyes and points at above shower scene.* Its my muse's fault. She wanted a shower scene so I was forced to write it. Luckily the characters are so accommodating lol. Otherwise I'd have a revolt on my hands. 

 

 

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**Chapter Nine**

 

**April 12 th, 2010 03:40am**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Chris woke to the sound of a gunshot and scrambled from bed when he saw that Leon wasn't next to him. After throwing on a pair of pants he raced through the house looking for his lover. His heart pounded in his chest and he shouted the younger man's name frantically. Jill and Sheva came running out of their room half dressed and looking scared. “Out here.” Chris almost collapsed in relief hearing Leon's voice coming from outside. He quickly ran out onto the porch and stared in shock at the sight of a dead bobcat in his yard. Leon was crouched next to it dressed only in a pair of jeans. His back was to the house, but it seemed as though he was holding something.

“What happened?” Chris asked.

“I'm surprised the damn cat didn't wake you.” Leon replied. “I woke up to it yowling outside the house so I came out here to chase it off, but...” He stood and turned. The girls squealed and went running towards him. In his arms was a small white fox. “It had this little guy by the leg so I shot it.” Chris walked down off the porch and looked at the small bundle in his lover's arms. It was a young albino fox. Pale red eyes blinked up at the faces surrounding it and whimpered softly, curling further into Leon's chest. “Back off guys, I gotta take care of his leg.”

“Its a boy?” Jill asked as they followed him into the house.

“Yeah, Chris do you have a first aid kit?”

“Yup, hold on a sec.” The brunette man rushed into the storage room off the kitchen and grabbed the kit he kept there then brought it into the kitchen where Leon had brought the fox.

“Towels you don't mind getting bloody?” Leon was eyeing the wounds on the fox's left hind leg. Chris grabbed a few hand towels and laid them out on the counter then opened the first aid kit and set it next to them. He watched Leon lay the fox down on one of the towels then stepped back to let the man work. His movements were skilled and quick as he gently cleaned the fox's injuries and wrapped them in bandages. Luckily the wounds weren't deep enough to require stitches. It was a wonder that the fox didn't fight or snarl. Chris had always been told that wounded animals were dangerous. Once he was finished Leon cleaned his hands then carefully lifted the little fox into his arms.

“Can I pet him?” Jill asked, her eyes wide with childlike wonder.

“Careful, he tried to bite me earlier.”

“Then why'd ya pick him up?” Chris frowned.

“Because he needed help.” Leon replied with a shrug. “He calmed down once I let him smell my hand.” Jill was reaching out to pet the small creature's head. He opened his eyes with a little growl and hid his face in Leon's arm.

“Guess he doesn't like me.” Jill laughed, letting her hand fall back to her side. “Are you going to keep him?” She asked looking up at Leon's face.

“If you are you have to name him.” Sheva piped up.

“Its a wild animal.” Chris exclaimed. “You don't keep a-” He quieted under three glares.

“I'm keeping him unless he wants to go.” Leon said calmly. “I don't know what to name him and if one of you suggest Snowball or something else equally stupid or obvious I'm going to shoot you.” The girls laughed. Chris only shook his head.

“I'm going back to sleep, and Leon, that animal is not sleeping in our bed.”

 

**09:30am**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Leon stared at the small ball of fluff on his lap. He'd never really had a pet before and wasn't sure if a fox was the best option. They'd slept on the couch together after the others had gone to bed because Leon didn't know where he was going to put the little animal yet. Christ, he needed to come up with a name. The fox yawned then opened his eyes and blinked up at the human sleepily. “You hungry?” Leon asked then sighed and let his head fall back against the couch. “What do foxes even eat?” He lifted his head and looked at the fox, who perked his ears and whined softly. “I have a feeling you're gonna be trouble.” Leon muttered with a smile, petting the soft white fur. He then pulled out his phone and looked up what a fox's diet consisted of. “Well I think bugs and rodents are out of the question for now.” He said with a laugh. The fox chirped and licked his arm. “Yeah, yeah.” Leon smiled then tucked the fox carefully under one arm and stood. “Let's go see what's in the fridge.” He heard another chirp and laughed.

Once in the kitchen he opened the refrigerator. “Well the article says you eat fruit, is that true?” He looked at the fox, who blinked and tilted his head to the side. “Chicken? Its a bird. You eat _those_ right?” That got a chirp. “Chicken it is then.” Leon grabbed a cooked chicken breast from the previous night's dinner and a package of cherry tomatoes. He then set them on the counter and put the fox on his shoulders so that it was curled around his neck. A tongue tickled his ear making him almost drop the knife he had grabbed. “Stop that.” He muttered with a smile then set about chopping both the meat and tomatoes into bite size pieces. A small chirp sounded by his ear followed by some sniffing then another chirp. Leon chuckled as he put the food on a plate. He then picked it up and walked out onto the porch where he set it down. The fox struggled a little as he lifted him. Once he was next to the food he calmed down and began eating as though half starved.

Leon smiled to himself then looked out into the yard where the dead bobcat still laid. He was going to have to bury it later. When the fox finished eating Leon picked him up then carried him out into the yard, away from the bobcat and set him down again. Immediately the fox urinated then began sniffing around, almost like a dog, until he found a spot to poop. Leon picked him up after he was finished and carried him back into the house where he found Jill and Sheva making breakfast.

“Morning!” Jill said brightly. “Have you thought of a name yet?” Leon shook his head as he sat down on one of the stools that were pulled up to a high counter. He put the fox around his neck again so that he could lean against the cool surface.

“Did you get him something to eat?” Sheva asked as she whipped up some pancake batter. The fox chirped in his ear then licked it. Leon snorted.

“Yeah, I had to look it up first though.”

“He's so cute.” Jill sighed fondly.

“So what did you feed him?” Sheva smiled.

“Some of the chicken from last night and a few of those tomatoes.” Leon replied, reaching up to scratch the fox under the chin. “He seemed to like it.”

“The little guy's got good taste.” Jill grinned. She was the one who had made the chicken.

“Course he does.” Sheva giggled. “He likes Leon.” Both girls laughed while Leon just shook his head.

“So its still here I see.” A deep voice grumbled behind him. Leon rolled his eyes. “Better not have taken a dump in the house. “ Chris added as he walked to the coffee pot.

“Just in your yard.” Leon retorted. The fox made an odd sound that was a growl mixed with a whine then hid his face in Leon's hair when Chris came over to sit next to them. Jill and Sheva cracked up.

“Oooh someone don't like you.” Jill teased.

“Shut up, Valentine, it doesn't like you either.” Chris snapped. Leon rolled his eyes with a sigh and got up. He grabbed the first aid kit and a towel then took the fox into the bathroom to change his bandages. His reward was a small nip on the fingers that stung, but didn't do any real damage.

“You're welcome.” The blonde laughed, scooping the feisty little creature up. The fox batted his nose playfully and trilled softly. “You sound like a bird you know.” Leon chuckled then laid him across his shoulders. He heard arguing in the kitchen so he cleaned up his mess and went into the bedroom to get dressed. With a smirk he set the fox on the bed then walked over to the dresser and pulled out some clean clothes. After pulling them on he walked over to the bed and flopped down next to his new friend. “What the hell am I gonna call you?” He muttered.

“That thing had better not be on the bed!” Chris shouted from the kitchen. Leon snickered and laid the fox on his chest.

“He's not.” He called back trying not to laugh. Rosy eyes peered at him curiously. “Well you aren't.” The fox chirped in reply then curled into a ball and went to sleep. Leon stroked his soft fur and blinked suddenly heavy eyes. What the hell was he going to name the little pup?

 

**11:20am**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Chris sighed as he walked down the hall. Leon was ignoring their calls to breakfast so he was probably doing something he shouldn't. “Mother fucker.” The brunette swore when he saw the younger man napping on the bed with the damn fox curled up on his chest. “Not on the bed my ass.”

“He's not.” Leon murmured sleepily, his lips twitched up in a smile. “He's on me.”

“Food's ready.” Chris muttered darkly, bristling when the fox growled at him. “Don't bring that to the table.” He stalked out of the room. Outwardly he looked angry, but inside he was smiling. It was hard to stay mad at Leon for anything, and him sleeping with the little white ball of fluff was pretty damn cute. “They were sleeping.” He said in response to the girl's questioning looks. Leon came down the hall after a while and sat down at the table. Chris eyed him suspiciously when he didn't see the fox. “Where's the creature?”

“Probably pissing on your pillow.” Leon smirked. Chris was about to yell at him then he saw two little triangles of white fluff sticking out of the hood of Leon's sweatshirt.

“Asshole.” The brunette man muttered. There was a high pitched bark from the smaller man's hood.

“He told you.” Jill laughed.

“I thought I told you not to bring that thing to the-Leon!” Chris frowned at his lover, who was feeding a piece of pancake to the creature in his hood.

“What?” Leon asked, blinking at him innocently as the fox licked his fingers. Chris was at a loss for words. On one hand he hated that Leon wasn't listening to him, but on the other hand the younger man had been way too submissive over the past couple months. His behavior in the past couple days had been refreshing...and fucking sexy as hell.

“Never mind.” The older man grumbled finally, turning back to his food. He needed to stop looking at the other man. There was something so beautifully different about him that was leaving Chris with an erection. He could hear the girls giggling and trying to come up with good names for the fox pup as they ate. They were being a little idiotic...Prada? Seriously? He shook his head and glanced over at Leon, who was sitting stock still, lips twitching as the fox in his hood chewed on his hair. It was making little half growl, half...wait was it _laughing_? It sounded like human laughter. Chris snorted and returned to his food. “I think its trying to mimic you guys.” There was a soft chirp and he glanced over at the fox. “Yeah, you're a mimic.”

“He is.” Leon smiled. “I think that's what we'll call him...Mimic.”

“Seriously?” Jill asked.

“Better than Prada or Gucci, Valentine.” Leon retorted, getting to his feet with his plate in hand.

“I agree, and it suits him.” Chris grinned, slightly giddy that he helped name the little guy.

“Hold him for a minute.” Suddenly there was a tiny ball of fluff in Chris's arms and Leon was walking towards the bathroom. The older man snatched a piece of fruit off his plate and shoved it into Mimic's mouth before the fox could bite him. Ruby eyes blinked as Mimic chewed. He then let out a loud chirp and settled down in Chris's arms.

“You just made a friend.” Sheva laughed while Jill pouted. Chris ignored them, choosing instead to gently pet Mimic's head. A minute later he felt arms wrap around him from behind.

“He's actually pretty useful. I learned that they hunt rodents and bugs.”

“Like a cat then...I can deal with that.” Chris turned his head to look at Leon and received a brain stopping kiss. The younger man's eyes crinkled in a smile as he took the fox back and stuck it in his hood. Chris watched him dumbly as he sauntered outside.

“Holy shit.” Jill exclaimed.

“Did anyone else think that was hot?” Sheva asked.

“Chris did.” They both erupted into a fit of laughter as Chris stood and raced to the bathroom.

“Damn it Leon.” He swore. The girls heard him and laughed harder.

 

**06:45pm**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Leon was exhausted. He'd spent the day taking care of an increasingly energetic baby fox. At the moment said fox was stalking a spider across the floor. Jill and Sheva cheered as Mimic finally ate it. “Can I talk to you about something?” Chris asked, sitting next to him on the couch. Leon nodded and turned to face him. “You still have an appointment with Ellie tomorrow.” Leon felt his blood run cold at the woman's name. “Will you go?”

“No.” Leon replied coldly.

“Why?”

“Because she's a fucking bitch.” Leon snapped.

“Ellie is?” Jill asked. “I never thought so.”

“Yeah, well she didn't accuse you of using sex as an outlet for your emotions while  _ pretending _ to love the person you're fucking.” 

“What?!” Both Sheva and Jill looked shocked, then the blonde woman's face darkened with anger.

“Did she really?” Her eyes were on Chris, who nodded guiltily. “And you want him to go back and talk to her some more? Are you retarded or something?”

“No, I just-”

“He's not going.” Jill snapped. “Ellie helped me and for that I'll be forever grateful, but she had no right asking what she did.”

“I agree.” Sheva looked up at Leon. “Besides, I think having Mimic around will help far more than that silly woman.” Leon relaxed back into the couch with a grateful smile.

“Fine, I'll call her.” Chris got to his feet.

“No. I will.” Jill's eyes narrowed slightly at the large man. “Sit.” He sat. “Good boy.” She smirked as she rose gracefully to her feet. She pulled her phone from her pocket and walked away, dialing a number. “Hi Ellie...yes its Jill...I just wanted to let you know that Leon will  _ not _ be coming to see you tomorrow or ever again...no.” Jill sighed heavily. “It isn't your decision Ellie. I don't know what possessed you to accuse him of using Chris, because anyone with half a brain can see how he truly feels. Maybe you're just out of practice, but the truth remains...yes you did help both me and Chris. I'm not denying that and we're both grateful to you...I'm sorry you feel that way...Yes we're worried about him, but I don't think you can help Leon...He hates you and he has a new therapist.” She laughed, glancing over at where Mimic was trying to jump into Leon's lap. He smiled and reached down to pick up the little ball of fluff then sat back and just stroked the soft white fur. “I understand, goodbye Ellie.” Finished with her call, she turned fully towards them and smiled brightly. For the first time since seeing them Leon was glad that the women were here.

“Thank you Jill.” He said then put Mimic in his hood and stood. Hesitantly he walked over to her and gave her a hug. For some odd reason she burst into tears. Her arms went around his neck and she held him close for a moment before pulling away. She smiled up at him, wiping away her tears. “You ok?” He asked in concern.

“Yeah. That's the first time you've hugged me.” She laughed at the confused expression on his face. “It made me happy.”

“So those are happy tears?” He asked seriously.

“Yes, you emotionally constipated man.” The blonde woman laughed again then reached up to ruffle his hair. Behind him he heard both Chris and Sheva laughing as well.

“Emotionally constipated?” His eyebrow rose as he looked down at her in amusement. “What does that even mean?” Jill giggled.

“Well you have a hard time expressing your feelings right?”

“So?” His eyes narrowed, not liking where this was going.

“Constipation is when you can't poop right?” Her grin widened.

“Gross, but yes.” He rolled his eyes at another burst of giggles. “Okay, I get it.”

“Its accurate.” Chris laughed from behind him. Leon turned to give him a withering glare, but the older man just laughed harder.

“I'm going outside.” Leon muttered and walked out on the porch, slamming the door on their laughter. “Nice to know I'm entertaining.” The blonde muttered as he took Mimic out into the yard. He set the fox down and let him do his business. Earlier they had gone into town to get some food and other items for the little fox. He was now sporting a little collar with name tag and he had a bed on the floor of Chris and Leon's room. He smiled down at his new pet as the small fox pounced and chased after low flying moths. The wounds on his hind leg weren't too bad so he was able to move around easily. The vet they had brought him to had told them Mimic would heal just fine. He'd also told Leon that the fox was a wild animal and shouldn't be kept as a pet. Leon had only rolled his eyes and thanked the man before taking Mimic home. In his mind he knew all that and if the fox wanted to leave and go back to the wild he wouldn't stop him. The energetic little ball of fur seemed inclined to stay, so he felt the point was a little moot.

An angry yowling from the forest had Leon grabbing his gun and the fox cowering by his feet. The blonde aimed his pistol at the trees as he crouched to pick Mimic up. His eyes continuously scanned for movement, then narrowed when they spotted a dog-sized feline stalking towards them through the grass. Holding Mimic in one arm he turned his body, aimed, and fired. His bullet hit the dirt directly in front of the hungry bobcat. He watched it freeze then retreat at a run back into the forest. Behind him he heard Chris and the others run out onto the porch. He slowly backed up towards them while he kept an eye out for any more nightly hunters.

“What was it?” Chris asked as soon as Leon was back on the porch with his gun stashed in his waistband.

“Another bobcat.” The younger man shrugged, glancing out at the treeline. “Hopefully I scared it off for good, but we'll see.” Chris also looked out at the forest.

“I didn't realize they were such a problem out here.” He said as they all went back into the house. A few hours later Leon placed the sleeping Mimic in his new bed then stripped and crawled into bed with Chris. He sighed softly as he curled up in the older man's arms. It was so nice to finally be able to think clearly. His memory was still cloudy, but he would fix that in a week or so when he and the others went down into the Omega facility. He felt Chris's lips brush his forehead. Leon relaxed into the other man, closing his eyes, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 

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**A/N:** Ok so I know foxes don't normally act in this manner, especially if wounded. Foxes are normally wary of humans, but for the purpose of this story I made a special one. God I love Mimic lol. I hope y'all do too. I was laughing so hard while writing the past couple of chapters. More fluffiness to come, then we get to go to West Virginia and kick some Neo Umbrella ass XD

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapters 10-12

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**Chapter Ten**

 

**April 18 th, 2010 02:30pm**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

“You're going to not want to be in the house tonight.” Chris told the two women standing in the kitchen with him. He glared out the window at Leon, who was playing with Mimic in the yard.

“Why is that?” Jill asked with a sly grin.

“Unless you want to hear what I'm going to do to him, then by all means stay.” He heard them giggle.

“What'd he do now?” Sheva asked once the giggles had subsided. Chris finally turned from the window with a sigh. For the past week Leon had been pulling little pranks on him, they were harmless and actually amusing, but Chris had a plan for getting the younger man back.

“This morning I woke up covered in jam with a nasty little fox licking my face.” The brunette man frowned at the memory. Jill and Sheva went into laughing hysterics. Chris cracked a smile. “Its not a big deal, but I've decided to p- uh get him back.”

“We'll go stay at a hotel.” Jill gasped, clutching at her sides. Chris turned back to the window.

“Shit.” Leon was nowhere in sight. Chris rushed to the window and sighed in relief when he saw that the younger man was still outside. He didn't want to be overheard.

“Can we take your car, or do we need to call a taxi?” Sheva asked.

“Take the car.” Chris replied, walking over to where he kept the keys. He pulled them out of the drawer and handed them to Jill. “You can leave whenever you want.”

“We'll go get ready.” Jill took Sheva's hand and they left the kitchen together. Chris heard them laughing in their room, but ignored it. He went into his own bedroom to come up with a plan. He wouldn't be able to put it into action until after dinner, but that didn't matter. His lips turned up in a wicked smile as he moved Mimic's bed into the laundry room. Tonight he would give Leon just what he had been asking for all week.

 

**06:30pm**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Leon wasn't sure why the girls had decided to stay at a hotel that night, but he had a feeling that it didn't bode well for him. He'd been pushing Chris's buttons all week out of the desire to cause trouble. It was so much fun to goad the older man. The type of fun he hadn't allowed himself since getting out of the Police Academy. Being a cop meant not much time for fun and he hadn't been in a serious relationship since college. The woman he'd been with had died in a car crash while with a man who wasn't him. That had put a hold on his love life. Sure he'd had flings with men and other women since then, but he could never commit. He hadn't even wanted to until Ada. At first they had the perfect relationship. She'd come and go as she pleased, never caring if Leon was with anyone between their rendezvous'. After a while, though, he had begun to wish for more. As he looked back now he knew that they never stood a chance together and he was grateful for what she had given him. He now felt ready to be in a committed relationship with someone and he wanted that person to be Chris.

He had never dreamed that he would end up _committed_ to a man. They were fun, sure, but fun didn't make a relationship. Chris had somehow become the center of his world. It wasn't something he tried to understand. A long time ago his mother had told him that love was never rational. She had been a wise woman, who had also told him that love transcended all societal boundaries. It cared not for race, gender, age, or creed. He knew she would approve of his relationship with Chris, though his dad wouldn't. His old man had been the most homophobic bastard out there. He knew his dad would want him to be happy, though, and would most likely have accepted Chris after a while. He wished they could be with him now, but he also knew that wherever they were they were watching over him.

Out in the woods he could feel their presence. Along with all the people he had loved and lost over the years. They were part of the earth now. Part of the world that he would die protecting. Men like him didn't grow old and retire. They lost their lives in the line of duty, protecting people who would most likely never even know their names. To some this was a depressing thought, but to Leon it gave him a sense of pride. He had single-handedly stopped dozens of outbreaks before they could even begin. His skills and exploits were legendary among certain circles, but he didn't do what he did for the fame. He did it so that people could live in peace. A world without B.O.W.'s and twisted viruses was his dream and he would give his life to accomplish it.

With a sigh Leon lifted Mimic and carried him outside to do his business while Chris cleaned up dinner. When he came back inside his lover was nowhere in sight. This was a problem. Leon knew the older man had been up to something all day so he was wary as he began walking down the hall towards their bedroom. As he passed the laundry room a hand shot out and grabbed Mimic from him. The fox let out a bark as he was locked in the room. Leon stared up at Chris and saw the dark look in his eyes. “Fuck.” The blonde swore and ducked under the hands that suddenly reached for him. He had a feeling he'd pushed the bigger man a little _too_ far. In fact he _knew_ he had as soon as Chris tackled him onto the couch and an arm wrapped around his neck.

“You ready to take your punishment?” Chris hissed in his ear, tightening his hold on Leon's throat, which cut off his air. The younger man bucked and twisted trying, not very hard, but still trying to get free. He wasn't going to make this easy for Chris and he knew the brunette liked the fight for dominance almost as much as the sex. When his vision began to darken, however, he let himself relax to let Chris know that he'd won this battle. The arm around his neck loosened immediately and he sucked in gasps of air, letting his head fall back against the older man's shoulder.

“I'm gonna have bruises tomorrow.” Leon commented with a grin, glancing sideways at Chris's profile. The brunette quirked an eyebrow then lifted the smaller man up and over his shoulder.

“Not if you don't fight me.” He grumbled.

“But that's part of the fun.” Leon chuckled, watching the carpet as Chris carried him towards the bedroom. He was feeling a bit disoriented so when his lover tossed him on the bed he didn't move...which turned out to be a not so great plan. He swore softly as his arms were pulled above his head and cuffed to the headboard. After a moment of fighting the restraints he looked up at Chris and smirked. “How do you plan on getting my shirt off, Redfield?” Chris laughed and ripped the soft material like it was paper. Leon watched the pieces of his shirt hit the floor with a sigh. Luckily it hadn't been one of his favorites. The rest of his clothes followed suit until he was lying naked on the bed. “Now what?” He asked with a grin then gasped in surprise as Chris blindfolded him. This was something new and he wasn't sure if he liked it. Panic fluttered through his chest. “Chris?” His breath hitched in his throat when no immediate response came. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat then froze as the bed sank under another heavy body. Part of him _really_ didn't like this, but a larger part was extremely turned on.

“Don't talk, or I'll gag you.” His lover's deep voice washed over him taking away some of the rising panic. As long as the older man was there he was safe. Leon licked his lips nervously as he felt a hand slip beneath him. His hips were lifted off the bed and a pillow was slid beneath his lower back then the hand left him. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but a warm hand covered it, reminding him of Chris's earlier command. If he didn't want to be gagged, then he needed to shut up. He took a deep breath and pressed his lips together as Chris' hand left his mouth. This was going to be difficult, but he was determined not to make a sound. If Chris wanted him to shut up then he was going to do just that. Not a single moan, groan, or plea would escape his lips...or so he thought. A gasp escaped as a well lubed finger entered him quickly followed by a second. He clenched his jaw as they massaged his prostate. When he still didn't make a sound he heard Chris chuckle.

“So that's the game you wanna play huh?” He asked then his lips were at Leon's ear. “I'm gonna make you beg to come.” He whispered. Leon gritted his teeth, but didn't respond. It took all his concentration to keep from making any sound as Chris used his hands, teeth, and tongue to slowly torment him. When he was just about to burst he felt a ring slip around his cock and almost swore. Instead he took a deep breath and held it as his release was denied. Sharp pain mixed with pleasure washed over him and he almost cursed again. Chris only laughed. “Let's see how long you last.” Leon began to regret every time in the past week he'd pressed the older man's buttons as a vibrating object was slid into him, coming to rest against his prostate.

 

**07:30pm**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Chris smirked as he watched Leon's struggling not to beg for release. For the past twenty minutes he had been tormenting the younger blonde and he himself was perilously close to cumming. He watched Leon's hips buck and twist. The older man wasn't sure if he was trying to get away from the dildo inside him or push it further in. This continued for another ten minutes. Amazingly Leon hadn't made a sound after the one gasp. Chris could see how hard the younger man struggled to stay silent. He winced as blood began leaking down the smaller man's chin from where he was biting his lip and wondered if he should end the game before Leon got hurt even more. The blonde was extremely stubborn and when he set his mind to something it usually went his way. Suddenly a string of colorful profanity burst from Leon's abused lips.

“If you don't take this _fucking godamn_ ring off me I'm gonna break this fucking headboard and beat your sadistic ass to death with it then skull fuck your corpse until your brain comes out your ears.” He went on, but Chris couldn't hear him over his own laughter. “Fuck you Redfield. I swear to fucking god I'm going castrate you if you don't stop laughing. You want me to beg? SCREW you. I'm gonna-” Chris cut him off with a kiss. Leon growled in the back of his throat, which was the only warning the older man got before a long leg wrapped around him, pinning him to the bed. There was the snap of wood breaking and Chris's eyes widened in shock. Somehow in the past few seconds his plan had gone horribly awry. The dildo and cock ring thumped to the floor as Leon straddled his waist. The blindfold had slipped so that it was hanging around the younger man's neck. His blue-gray eyes blazed down at Chris, who had never seen such a fire in his lover's eyes. He didn't know whether to be terrified or turned on.

“Uh...Leon?” He queried as strong hands, still cuffed together at the wrist, pinned his arms above his head.

“I am not your fucking _toy_ Redfield.” The younger man hissed. “You _will_ fuck me now or I'm going to give you the beating of a lifetime.”

“Ok.” Chris agreed meekly. The anger in Leon's eyes disappeared. A slow smirk curved his lips and Chris knew he'd been beaten at his own game. He moaned as Leon ground against him then reversed their positions and reached for the lube. After liberally coating his erection he plunged into the smaller man's tight, wet heat. Leon's cuffed arms went around the older man's neck, his body arching against him. It took only moments for both of them to reach their climax. Chris collapsed against his lover, completely spent.

“Chris.” Leon whispered in his ear. “Get these damn things off.” The brunette groaned as he pulled out and got off the bed to retrieve the handcuff keys. He winced as he removed the cuffs from Leon's wrist. They were both scraped raw and slowly bleeding. Leon yanked the blindfold from his neck then placed a searing kiss on Chris's lips. “That was fun, but if you ever use that fucking ring again I'm gonna kill you.” He smiled to soften the words then got up. “I'm taking a shower then you and I are going to have a talk.” Leon winked at him devilishly before disappearing into the bathroom. They made love three more times that night until they were both spent, pausing their sessions only briefly to take a yelping Mimic outside.

 

 

 

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**Chapter Eleven**

 

**A/N:** Ok, back to the angst for a little while. I feel its appropriate since I'm making this as realistic as I can. With both Depression and PTSD there are ups and downs.

 

Oh! And I promise no one will die when they go down into the Omega facility. There may be some injuries...y'all know I'm a sadist lol, but I promise everyone will come out alive and with all their limbs intact...by which I mean still attached to their bodies.

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 03:15am**

**Montana: Chris's Ranch**

 

Leon woke as a scream tore itself from his throat and threw himself from wherever he was lying. Panic and confusion coursed through him when he hit a hard surface. He couldn't see a damn thing and could barely hear over the sound of his own heart. This wasn't safe, he was too loud, they would find him for sure now. He screamed again when hands grabbed him by the shoulders. Someone was yelling at him, but it was too hard to make out what they were saying as he struggled against the hold they had on him “....eyes, Leon, open your eyes!” The voice was deep, familiar and now rang out clearly through his confused mind. _Open my eyes?_ Leon thought deliriously. Were they closed...oh...they were. Slowly he blinked his eyes open and Chris's worried face came into focus. They were sitting on the floor by the bed. The overhead light was on and he could now see Jill and Sheva in the doorway. That's right, he was at Chris's ranch in Montana...and he was safe. Mimic whined and pawed at his side.

“Shit...I'm sorry.” The tired blonde mumbled, realizing that he'd woken _everyone_ with his nightmare. Chris pulled him into a hug.

“Don't be, Rookie, its fine.” The older man said soothingly, rubbing his back in small, calming circles.

“You guys going to be okay now?” Jill asked worriedly.

“Yeah, go back to bed, I've got it from here.” Chris replied. Leon heard the door close and he relaxed into his lover, crying softly. The older man's arms tightened around him. “You're okay now, baby.” He murmured. The use of a pet name told Leon just how worried Chris had been. It wasn't often they used them for each other. “You're safe here, I promise.” Leon slipped his arms around the bigger man's neck, pressing his face into his muscular chest. His heart had finally begun to slow to a more normal rate and it was getting easier to breathe, despite the sobs shaking through him. He hated this. For the past week and a half his sleep had been almost dreamless and now this. Leon let go of Chris and pulled away to wipe irritably at the tears on his face. It was ridiculous to be crying over a stupid dream. He lifted the still pestering Mimic onto his lap and stroked the fox's soft white fur, smiling softly as a tongue lapped at his face. It made him feel normal again to sit there with his odd pet and the man that he loved more than anything.

“Feeling better?” Chris asked softly. Leon nodded then got shakily to his feet and put Mimic back in his bed. “Would you like to talk about it at all? The dream I mean.”

“I'd rather not try to remember it.” The younger man replied honestly, peeling off his sweat soaked clothes. “I'm going to take a shower.” He kissed Chris on the cheek. “Thanks.” He whispered then hurried to the bathroom and climbed into the shower, letting his thoughts drift as the warm water washed away the last images of his dream.

Accepting Chris's love and support was getting easier, he still had a hard time talking about stuff that bothered him. He knew he would eventually, it just took time for him to figure out how to express his feelings in a way that made sense to other people. His three friends understood a lot more than most would, since they'd been through similar experiences, but not everything. They didn't understand why he bottled everything up inside or why he never let his gun out of his sight unless he was in the shower.

For him the world was not a safe place and he had been dealing with it the only way he knew how. He closed himself off to people and kept his true thoughts a secret because the truth would get him killed and getting close to people would get _them_ killed...just look at what had happened to Ada. It may not have been his fault, but he still felt responsible in a way. If he'd been able to convince her to get out of the espionage business and stay with him she might still be alive, but then he never would have fallen in love with Chris.

With a sigh Leon turned of the water and stepped out of the shower. After drying himself off he walked back into the bedroom. As he reached into a drawer for some clothes he felt warm arms wrap around him from behind and a gentle kiss on the back of his neck. He sighed in contentment and allowed himself to relax into Chris's embrace. “Come to bed.” Came a soft whisper in his ear. “Let me chase the nightmares away.” Leon turned to wrap his arms around his lover's neck and kissed the rough stubble along his jaw.

“Chris, just you being here with me makes everything bearable.” He smiled up at the bigger man. “I don't think the nightmares will ever go away. I've seen too much...but I've never had someone like you in my life before. Someone who helps keep me grounded and keeps the fear from overwhelming me.” Leon put his hands on the back of Chris's head and pulled his face down so that he could place a kiss on the other man's lips. “Thank you.” He murmured softly. “If you hadn't come along I don't think I'd have survived.” Chris's arms tightened around him then, suddenly, lifted the younger man and brought him to the bed.

“I've never had anyone like you either.” His voice cracked as he fought back his emotions. Leon looked up into the older man's tear filled eyes. “I've _never_ felt this strongly about someone before and...sometimes it scares me how much I love and need you.” A tear slipped down his cheek and Leon leaned forward to kiss it away. He understood how the brunette was feeling. He felt it too. They had a love that was intense and powerful. It was something neither of them had experienced before. “I'm so afraid I'm gonna somehow fuck this up.”

“You can't.” Leon stared into his lover's eyes as he spoke. “Not unless you stop feeling the same way as I, which you just described perfectly.” Chris laughed then buried his face in the younger man's neck.

“What a pair we are.”

“I wouldn't change a thing.”

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 07:00am**

**West Virginia: Monongahela National Forest**

 

Chris watched the mansion that supposedly housed the Omega Facility through his binoculars. He, Leon, Jill, and Sheva had arrived in West Virginia two hours prior and were now in place waiting for the go-ahead from HQ. Leon had been against notifying the BSAA, but Chris had put his foot down. He didn't want to put his lover or team into a dangerous situation without backup. _Especially_ when dealing with Neo Umbrella who had an obvious hard-on for Leon.

The call to his superiors at the BSAA had served two purposes. The first being to let them know what Leon had remembered and that they wanted to be the team to go in, regardless of their vacation status. The second was to see if the information Jill and Sheva had recovered from Delta mentioned Leon. The Tricell binder had turned out to be nothing more than information on the D-virus, which was a engineered mix of the G and Progenitor viruses. Chris shuddered thinking of the disgusting rolling eyes of the creatures back at the Dakota Facility. The D-virus had infused the brute strength and size created by the G-virus with the speed, agility, and intelligence induced by the Progenitor virus.

In the files from the computer there had been multiple mentions of someone with the initials L.S.K. They also confirmed the fact that Leon had been in the Omega Facility for 'processing' before being moved to Vermont. No details about what had been done to him were found, but there were mentions of problems Leon had caused. _'The facility is in chaos.'_ One such report read. _'The subject LSK is not cooperating and has released many other experiments in his attempts to escape. Requests to our friends at Tricell for his immediate removal to their Vermont facility have been accepted. Once the transfer is complete Omega will need to be abandoned. The facility has fallen out of our control. It is too dangerous to remain.'_

Chris was glad the man had given them hell, but what did that mean for his team going into the facility? Leon's solution, when he had expressed his concern, had been simple. _'Just kill everything that moves that isn't me, Jill, or Sheva.'_ That was easy enough for the resident bad ass to say, but Chris was still wary, which is one of the reasons they were still hanging out at the edges of the forest about 500 yards from the mansion. The other being that they hadn't received the green light from HQ. Their backup was still getting into position. He glanced over at Leon, who was getting antsy. One wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at him though. He was crouched by a tree, staring with razor sharp focus at the decrepit mansion, unmoving, unflinching. There was something in his eyes, though, that told Chris a little of what was going on in the younger man's mind. There was an alertness there, sharper than normal, and flickers of tension.

“HQ to Alpha team.” A voice suddenly crackled over the radio in Chris's ear, making him jump.

“This is Alpha team. We read you loud and clear.” He replied.

“You are a go Alpha team. Bravo and Charlie teams are in position.”

“Copy that. Alpha Team out.” Chris rose to his feet as he ended the transmission. He looked at the three other members of his group. Jill and Sheva wore their normal tactical gear just as he did. Leon looked naked compared to the three of them. He had a black leather jacket on over a tight reinforced t-shirt, dark jeans and black combat boots. Around his waist was a belt that had pouches for his extra magazines and the holsters for his .50 caliber Desert Eagle. His 9mm Glock was in a shoulder holster under his jacket as was his knife. Chris looked down at his combat gear and M16 assault rifle and felt a little over dressed, but he shrugged it off. It was better to go in with too much than to have too little. That's how you got into trouble. “We're a go.”

“Fucking finally.” Leon muttered, rising to his feet with a fluid grace that Chris envied. He pulled his Glock from his shoulder holster as Jill and Sheva got to their feet and began stretching.

“Who's on point?” Jill asked.

“I guess he is.” Chris grumbled as he saw that Leon was already walking towards the mansion. “Sheva take the rear.” He sighed, jogging after his lover.

 

**07:30am**

**West Virginia: Mansion Exterior**

 

Leon stopped on the broken porch of the mansion to wait for the others, who were taking their own sweet time crossing the yard. He resisted the urge to tap his foot on the old boards and took the opportunity to look around for any traps or security. There were a couple cameras, but it was obvious by their condition that they weren't working. It looked as though birds had gotten to the devices. There was a small, irritated chirp from beneath his jacket. “Shh.” He hissed.

“Leon...was that...?” Chris frowned at him.

“Chirp?” Leon tried, but his lover wasn't buying it, as evidenced by the way the bigger man was now reaching for him. He nimbly avoided the man's large hands.

“Did you seriously bring that damn fox?!” Chris shouted.

“Of course no-” A loud angry chirp interrupted him and he felt Mimic's paws scratching at his back. “Shit.”

“Seriously?!”

“I couldn't leave him behind.” Leon sighed as Mimic climbed up out of his sling so that his head was poking up out of Leon's jacket. The fox whined in agreement. “He would have shit all over your house...and I'd rather him do that here.” The blonde grinned, petting his pet's mussed fur. Chris pinched the bridge of his nose as the girls laughed.

“Why me?” He groaned.

“Just pretend like he's not here.” Leon shrugged, not really seeing what the big deal was. He'd already gone over all the disadvantages in his head and had decided to bring the little animal anyway. “Or think of him as an early warning system. He'll sense trouble before any of us do.” He turned and kicked open the front doors of the mansion.

“I _already_ sense trouble.” Chris muttered behind him. Leon ignored him, rolling his eyes then focused on the dark room in front of him. Reaching down he turned on the light attached to his belt. Half of the room has covered in debris from the collapsed second floor. Directly across from him were a pair of glass doors hanging off their hinges. Thick hedges were growing through them making the way impassable. Off to his left was a tall set of oak doors, which happened to be the only way they could go. With a sigh he walked in, carefully stepping over the debris littering the floor. Behind him he could hear the others following him. Chris was still muttering darkly, which amused Leon immensely. He'd predicted this exact reaction.

A small table that had toppled over caught his eye. As Chris and the others continued towards the doors, he walked over to it and crouched down. He searched through it, but finding nothing he rose. Just when he began to turn away the light from his light caught on a small metal object lying on the floor beneath the table. Chris's boot kicking at the solid oak doors sounded in the background as he reached down for the shiny object. It turned out to be a key with an oriental design. After pocketing it he walked over to the others and stood there smiling as Chris kicked the door again and again swearing profusely. He surreptitiously inspected both the doors and the surrounding walls. A small switch caught his eye.

“Chris?”

“Kinda busy Leon.” The older man snapped. Leon sighed and moved over to the switch. Before Chris could raise his foot to kick the doors for the hundredth time, he pressed the switch and smirked as the doors swung open. All three agents turned to look at him, each face held a different expression. Jill and Sheva both looked amused while Chris had gone red with rage. “The hell?!”

“I tried to tell you.” Leon shrugged, hoping the girls had more sense than to laugh. “At least I waited.” Chris glared at him for a moment then relaxed with a chuckle.

“Thanks for that. I would hate to fall on my ass so early in the day.” The brunette man glanced through the doors. “I'll be on point.” Leon exchanged amused glances with the girls then the three of them followed Chris into the hall just beyond the doors. There was another set of doors in front of them looking terribly out of place due to their design. They were sliding Japanese doors. Leon quirked an eyebrow.

“Odd.” He murmured under his breath. Mimic licked the side of his face making him laugh. Chris turned to look at him so he pointed at the fox. His lover gave him an irritated glare then turned back to the doors. Leon looked at Mimic and shrugged making Sheva giggle.

“Will you two please take this seriously?!” Chris snapped over his shoulder. Leon made a face at his back, which made Jill giggle. “For Christ's sake!” Their leader exclaimed before grabbing the handle of the door in front of him and slamming it open...well it was more like _breaking_ it open since the flimsy panels burst from their frames. The scent of incense drifted out of the ornately decorated room beyond. The entire space had been decorated to look like an Oriental brothel. _Interesting,_ Leon thought to himself. After Chris's outburst he'd decided it was best to stay quiet until the bigger man calmed down. “The fuck?” His lover frowned in confusion, stepping into the room. Movement caught Leon's eye and he flung himself into Chris's back. They landed in a heap on the floor just as a blade swung through the space Chris had just been occupying.

“Chris!”

“Leon!” The girls yelled their names, sounding terrified.

“We're fine.” Leon called back, getting to his feet. Chris was a bit slower and unsteady. His blue eyes were wide in shock from the near miss. “If you want point, Redfield, pay fucking attention.” The younger man glared at his lover half in anger, half in fear. He reached down and lifted up one end of the tripwire Chris had blundered through. The brunette just stared at the blade sticking out of the wall. Leon muttered under his breath and forced the bigger man to sit down on one of the pillows then moved around the room, disarming the rest of the traps. There were three more trip wires and four pressure plates all attached to deadly devices. “Its safe now.”

Jill and Sheva stepped cautiously into the room and went to Chris as Leon continued to search the room. At the back he found a tall, locked wardrobe. On the face of it were intricately carved dragons. When he tried the doors he found it locked and was about to force it open when he remembered the key in his pocket. He pulled it out and slipped into the golden keyhole beneath one of the handles then twisted. To his surprise the lock clicked. He opened the wardrobe slowly, wary of traps. Three sharp blades came flying out, but he was ready for them. He caught the first two. The third he blocked with one of the others and it dropped harmlessly to the floor. He heard an appreciative whistle from behind him as he tossed the other two blades aside.

The wardrobe was completely empty at first glance. When he looked closer he found that the floor of it was actually a puzzle. It reminded him of the one he'd seen in the castle back in Spain. The one that had made the suits of armor come to life. He shuddered and debated on whether he should solve it or not. It looked fairly simple. It was made up of small square tiles with an empty corner. The person solving it had to slide the tiles around until they created the appropriate picture.

“What do you think?” He whispered, looking at Mimic. The others were talking quietly behind him. He couldn't hear what they were saying so he decided to ignore them. Mimic nudged the side of his face, which Leon took as encouragement. He knelt down in front of the wardrobe and began sliding the the tiles around aimlessly until he realized the pattern was what had been on the doors of the wardrobe. With a smirk he quickly finished the puzzle. As soon as the last tile was moved he heard a click and the panel lifted. He opened it the rest of the way and frowned in confusion. Lying in the hollow beneath was a large African mask.

 

><><><><><><><><

 

**A/N:** So just to let y'all know I spent four fucking hours designing the Omega facility. I drew it out on graph paper and created intricate puzzles. These next few chapters are going to be AWESOME! The time I spent was so fucking worth it. This is classic RE shit right here lol. I out did myself this time haha. I feel like the velociraptor in Jurassic Park, I'm quite a “clever girl”. BWAHAHA (If ya didn't get the reference go watch Jurassic Park...seriously that is some awesome shit.)

 

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**Chapter Twelve**

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 08:30am**

**West Virginia: Mansion-Oriental Room**

 

Chris lifted his head from his knees when he heard footsteps. Leon was walking back towards him, Jill, and Sheva carrying something in his hands. He'd been messing around with the wardrobe for over a half an hour for some reason, but Chris had still felt too shaky to get up and find out why. He couldn't believe he'd almost got both him and Leon killed. The younger man had been right to get pissed. The brunette had been so caught up in his own irritation that he hadn't been paying attention. It made him sick to think about the near miss so he was all too happy to focus on Leon.

“You okay now?” His lover asked, getting to one knee beside him. He laid a comforting hand on the older man's shoulder. Chris nodded.

“That looks like a Zulu tribal mask.” Sheva said suddenly, reaching out to take the object Leon had found. He handed it over with a shrug then explained how he'd found it.

“Puzzles.” Chris shook his head in disgust. “Sounds like Umbrella.” He remembered the Spencer Estate all too well. It had been chock full of shit like this.

“I wonder where this goes.” Sheva murmured, staring at the mask.

“We'll most likely need it to move forward.” Leon responded with a shrug. “So one of us should hang onto it.”

“I will.” Chris took the mask from Sheva and got to his feet. “Leon, you should take point from now on.” The younger man's lips twitched, but he nodded without saying anything, which Chris was grateful for. “Jill take the rear.”

“Aye, aye Captain!” His friend grinned with a salute. They followed Leon out of the room and to the left where the hall disappeared into darkness. The only light came from the beams of their flashlights, even though the sun was up outside. The next door they came to was around a corner. It was made of a dark wood and the doorknob was in the direct center of it...like an old English door. Leon tried the handle, unlocked. The door swung open with a loud creak. Mimic whined in complaint.

“I agree.” Chris heard Leon mutter and had to bite back a smile. He loved it when the younger man conversed with his pet. It was adorable, slightly crazy, and pure Leon. “Stay here.” The blonde said over his shoulder then stepped into the room. He immediately ducked and rolled to his left as a sword swung out of the wall.

“Leon!” Chris cried, stepping forward.

“Stay there.” The smaller man shouted. “I've got this.” It took every ounce of Chris's willpower to obey the command. Like with the first room Leon moved through the traps, disarming them easily. “Its safe now.” He called from the back of the room. The three BSAA agents walked in to help with the search. The design of this room was Victorian. There was no lighting that worked so they had to rely on their flashlights to maneuver through the antique furniture. Leon found a locked stand that had a small slit across the front, but no obvious way to open it. Chris wanted to just smash it open and suggested as such. “No.” Leon shook his head. “Unfortunately we have to play their game...for now.” A dark smile crossed his lips.

They left the room with Leon once again in the lead. Across from them were windows that had been blacked out, which told them the reason no sunlight was shining into the building. Leon turned to the left and walked down the hall. Suddenly he stopped and swore. Ahead of them they heard a soft _swoop_ , then a loud metallic grind. “Fuck.” Leon groaned. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“What is it?” Chris asked, starting to get nervous.

“You ever read that Edgar Allan Poe story 'The Pit and the Pendulum'?”

“Fuck.” Jill swore.

“I don't understand.” Sheva blinked, looking between them in confusion.

“You'll see.” Leon took a deep breath and turned the corner. Chris followed him. When he saw the source of the noise his eyes widened in shock.

“ _Fuck_.”

“Now you're catching on.”

“Fuck!” Sheva exclaimed, coming around the corner. Swinging back and forth in front of them was a huge blade. There were three more in even intervals down the hall. Leon slipped off his jacket.

“Hold Mimic.” He said shortly, shoving the fox into Chris's arms.

“Wait, what?” The brunette looked at the younger man in confusion.

“ _Do not_ follow me.” Leon forced Chris to look at him.

“You can't go through those!” The older man exclaimed.

“I have to.” Leon kissed him gently. “I mean it, _don't_ follow me until I can turn the fuckers off.

“Leon, you can't-”

“I can.” The blonde grinned, then just to prove his point he spun and rolled past the first bladed pendulum with an agility Chris didn't possess.

 

**09:00am**

**West Virginia: Mansion-Hallway**

 

Leon ignored Chris's yells and focused on the next pendulum. This one was moving a bit faster. He took a couple steps closer to the wall at his right as the blade swung towards it. When it began to swing in the opposite direction he dropped to the ground and rolled forward. On the other side he got to his feet and faced the third pendulum. There was a door to his right, but he ignored it for now. On the wall just past the fourth swinging blade he could see a lever. Instinctively he knew that was what would shut off the trap. Using the technique he'd mastered he quickly moved through the last two pendulums. The fourth one moved fast enough to clip the side of his leg as he rolled through. “Shit.” He knelt to check the wound.

Luckily it wasn't too deep. He quickly wrapped it in a bandage from a pouch at his waist then got to his feet and yanked on the lever. With a screech the blades came to a halt then with a loud grinding sound they were raised into the ceiling. Leon trotted back down the hall. He met up with the others just outside the door he'd found on the way. With a cheeky grin he took Mimic from Chris's arms and placed the fox back in the sling at his back. Jill handed him his coat. “Damn, kid, you got skills.” She laughed. He chuckled and slipped his coat back on.

“Thanks, I-” He was cut off by a mouth on his. Chris's hands cupped his face as he pulled away.

“Don't ever do shit like that again. I almost had a heart attack.” The older man said gruffly.

“I'm fine.” Leon laughed. “The last one gave me a bit of trouble, but nothing I couldn't handle.”

“You hurt?” Chris asked, his hands moving to grip Leon's shoulders.

“Its only a scratch.” The younger man shrugged. “It moved faster then I thought.” He showed Chris the clean, white bandage on his leg. “It got my pants mostly.” His lover relaxed seeing no blood. “Shall we move on?” Leon asked, gesturing to the door in front of them.

“I guess.” Chris muttered. Leon opened the door.

“Looks like you're home Sheva.” He chuckled, stepping into the African themed room.

“Very funny.” The younger woman snorted. Leon smirked then checked the area for traps. Surprisingly enough the room had none.

“Its safe.” He called over his shoulder as he began searching the room. The others joined him, immediately spreading out. On the far wall to the left of the door was a huge map of Africa. Leon walked towards it when he saw the tribal masks hanging from the different countries...there was one empty spot. “Hey Chris, you still have that mask?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I think I found the puzzle it belongs to.” All three agents came running over to stand around him.

“They're placed wrong.” Sheva remarked.

“What do you mean?” Chris asked.

“Well, this is a Zulu tribal mask.” She explained, pointing at the mask in Chris's hands. “You can tell by the design...well I can anyway. The Zulu are a South African tribe and as you can see all those slots are filled.” She pulled one off. “This design is from the Bambara tribe, who live in western Africa.”

“Guess this puzzle is all yours.” Leon chuckled. “I'm gonna take a break.” He walked over to a nearby chair and lowered himself into it with a soft groan. His body ached from dodging all those traps.

“I'll help you.” Jill took the mask from Chris, who shrugged and stepped back to watch the women work. Leon pulled Mimic out of his sling and put the fox on his lap so that he could lean back. He stroked the animal's soft white fur and allowed himself to relax for the moment. He kept one eye on the door, listening to Sheva's calm voice explaining the different tribes and where they lived. Chris eventually had to step in and help with the masks that had to go in Northern Africa, which left Leon the only one paying attention to the rest of the room, not that he minded. He was used to being on his own.

“Got it!” Sheva exclaimed after a while. There was a loud rumbling sound that made Leon turn his head. The wall of masks had risen revealing a second wall behind it. In the center of it was a framed plaque. He stood and quickly put Mimic back in his sling as two more rumbles where heard. One out in the hall and one a little farther away. He pulled out his Glock; he barely remembered holstering it back at the Oriental room. This place was getting stranger and stranger. None of these traps had been in place when the BSAA had gone through a month or two ago. It meant they were on the right track, but he didn't like it.

“What is this...a riddle?” Chris asked. “ _Go to the room where knowledge resides, to find your way to the second prize._ ”

“There's something behind it.” Jill exclaimed excitedly.

“What is that?” Sheva asked. Since no enemies were coming Leon walked over to see what they were talking about.

“Its a key.” He stared at the small golden token in Jill's hands. It sparked a rush of memories.

 

**January 11 th, 2010**

**West Virginia: Mansion**

 

_Leon's feet dragged on the ground as the men currently manhandling him carried him through the building. In his groggy almost paralyzed state he had no control over anything and he could barely see. The room they were currently going through was a library. He could see and smell the moldy books covering the shelves, but he couldn't make out any details in the dim light. Laughter from the men and mention of a key forced him to focus. Each man held a small golden disc in their free hand._

_“Jameson will be happy we got him.” The man on his left chuckled._

_“Yup.” The other man agreed. “Damn kid is too nosy for his own good.”_

_“Can you believe this little fuck single-handedly took out the Dakota facility?” Lefty asked in disbelief. They had gone through another door and were now walking on a path bordered by overgrown hedges. The air was damp and smelled earthy, with a hint of rot. It made his stomach turn._

_“That's what I heard.” Righty replied. “Andrews is pissed, so is Burgess. They want him dealt with.”_

_“Course they leave it up to Jameson, fuckers don't want to get their hands dirty even though_ they're _the ones who lost Wesker.”_

 _“They want Jameson to find out how_ this _fucker found out about Wesker in the first place, while they do damage control.” They fell silent for a while._

_“Here's the first one.” Lefty muttered. Leon watched them place one of the round discs in the base of a statue. Through his blurred vision he thought he recognized the shape of a minotaur before they continued on through the maze._

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 09:45**

**West Virginia: Mansion-African Room**

 

“LEON!” Chris exclaimed, catching the younger man as he suddenly collapsed. His blue-gray eyes were glazed over, reminding Chris of how they'd looked during the last blackout he'd had. “Leon, baby, come back to me.” The brunette whispered, shaking his lover slightly.

“Left...left...right...right...right...right...left...” Leon whispered quietly. Chris had to strain to hear.

“What?”

“Left...right...right...left...left...first key...left...”

“He's remembering something.” Jill breathed. “I bet its that maze.”

“Straight...left...right...right...second key...turn around...right...right...left...left...” His brow furrowed slightly and his breathing started to quicken. “Right...left...” Leon suddenly gasped and sat up straight, grabbing for his gun.

“You're safe Rookie!” Chris exclaimed, putting a hand over his. The younger man stared around, his eyes wild. After a moment he calmed and flopped back against Chris's chest. “What did you remember?” Chris asked.

“A maze...where the keys go.” He glanced at the golden disc in Jill's hands. “There's two of them. When you put them in the statues the door to the facility opens.”

“I wonder why we didn't find any of this the first time we were here.” Jill murmured, staring at the key.

“You weren't supposed to.” Leon snorted, struggling to his feet and scooping up his gun. “You know how Umbrella works, if they can't trick you into looking the other way then they try to kill you.”

“Its still weird.”

“Its  _ Umbrella _ .” The younger man stressed the name. In a twisted way his logic made sense. “Come one, next stop is the library.”

“How do you know?” Chris asked, also getting to his feet.

“The place where knowledge resides right?” The blonde man smiled slightly. Jill laughed as she gave the whimpering Mimic back to him. Leon endured the fox's frantic licks to his face before placing him back in his sling.

“Fine, genius, lead on.”

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapters 13-15

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**Chapter Thirteen**

 

**April 23 rd. 2010 09:50am**

**West Virginia: Mansion-Library**

 

Leon wrinkled his nose as he walked into the library. The stench of rot was worse than he remembered. Like in the last room there weren't any traps. In the center a huge table had risen from the floor. They crowded around it. “Damn, its another riddle.” Chris muttered.

“So it is.” Leon smiled, then read aloud. “ _From Africa to the Orient, back again before the end. One of two keys you have found. For the second you must pay the pound._ ”

“Huh?” Chris's frown of confusion was reflected on the girls as well. Leon resisted the urge to laugh.

“I don't get it.” Jill wrinkled her nose.

“I've never been good at riddles.” Sheva shrugged.

“Its pretty simple if you think about it.” Leon finally did laugh. “There's only one line that really matters, which is the one that outlines where we have to go next.”

“And where is that genius?” Chris sneered.

“To the Victorian room.” The smaller man replied patiently.

“How ya figure?”

“Well, there are two ways to pay a pound. One is archaic and refers to the cutting off of a pound of flesh as a way of exacting revenge. The second is the old currency in England. I'm gonna say its the second one since there's a pound note under the glass here.” He tapped the table just above the note.

“Oh.” Chris said stupidly.

“The first couple of lines we can ignore, especially since this riddle makes the assumption that we had to go back to the Oriental room to get the mask because we missed it the first time through. The third line is superfluous since we already know there's two keys and we have the first one.”

“Damn boy.” Jill licked a finger and made a hissing sound as she touched it to his shoulder. “You is on fire you is so hot.” They all laughed at this...even Mimic. Once they'd calmed down Leon used the handle of his knife to break the glass on the table. After taking the pound note they went back to the Victorian room. The BSAA agents started looking around, but Leon had already figured out what he needed to do. He walked over to the box with the slit on the face of it and slid the note through it. With a whir and a click the box opened.

 

**10:15am**

**West Virginia: Mansion-Victorian Room**

 

Chris stared at his lover in awe. It had never been clearer than in that moment just how smart the younger man was. He'd always known Leon was skilled and had almost superhuman battle reflexes, but he'd never realized he was book smart too. Leon pulled a slip of paper out of the box he'd opened, along with a tiny key. “Is it _another_ riddle?” Chris groaned.

“ _To accomplish your journey's next phase, you must waltz your way through the hidden maze. Beneath secret rendezvous' of the past, you will find the final key at last.”_ Leon read from the paper.

“Well we already knew we'd have to go through the maze.” Jill laughed. “What does the rest mean though?”

“A ballroom.” Leon replied absently.

“How...” Chris trailed off just staring at him.

“The waltz is a dance and historically there were a lot of secret rendezvous' in ballrooms. Couple would hide behind curtains in dark corners to steal kisses...at least that's what my mom used to say. She had this stupid book club when I was a kid where she and a bunch of nutty women would sit around and talk about these romance novels they read...I was five when I learned what sex was.”

“So you've always been ahead of the curve then.” Jill laughed.

“Guess so.” The thin man grinned as the others also laughed.

 

**10:30am**

**West Virginia: Mansion-Hedge Maze**

 

Leon felt nauseous as they walked into the beginning of the maze. The stench of rot was overpowering and he could hear the others retching miserably as they followed him. His memory of the path they needed to take was hazy, but he managed to lead them to the first statue, which turned out to be a minotaur. Jill set her key in the round slot on the statue base. A loud clank rang through the room, letting them know that the first lock was open. “One down.” She smiled brightly, but looked a little green around the gills. Leon imagined they probably all did. He wondered what was making that smell and made the mistake of looking up.

“Leon?!” Chris exclaimed, running over to him as he fell to his knees. The blonde emptied the meager contents of his stomach onto the dirt path...that he really wished he wasn't on.

“I'm fine.” He grunted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and got back to his feet. After that he refused to look up...and to tell them what was hanging over them. _God damn_ Umbrella. Hanging from the veritable jungle above them were the half rotten corpses of what looked like children. Mimic whimpered and shook in his sling. He'd gone back under Leon's coat when they'd first entered the maze and now the human knew why. A rotten piece of flesh dropped to the ground in the middle of the circle they had formed by the statue. Leon put a hand on Sheva's flashlight as she started to raise it just as he had a few moments ago. “Don't...you really don't want to know what's up there.” Her brown eyes were wide and pinched with tension at the corners. “Come on.” He lead them onwards through the maze following the ghosts of his memory.

They eventually made it to the second statue, which was of Hercules. Since they didn't have the key they needed yet they turned around and continued up the maze until they found a pair of shattered french doors. Beyond them was the murky blackness of another room. Leon stepped inside and immediately backed out as a blade swung silently past his face. “Fuck.” He muttered, then pulled his flashlight off his belt and shone it all around by the door. A pedestal stood on either side. On top of them were huge stone bowls filled with a dark liquid. When he leaned closer he caught the scent of kerosene underneath the rot in the air. “Do any of you have a lighter?”

“Here.” Leon turned to Chris and took the lighter he held out. He flicked it to life and touched it to the liquid in the left hand bowl. It burst into flame and rushed down a stone aqueduct that ran all the way around the room connecting pedestals similar to the first.

“Well shit.” Leon swore looking into the now brightly lit room. It was filled with spinning blades. With a sigh he once again stripped off his jacket and handed it, along with Mimic, over to his lover. Before any of them could say anything he slid past the first blade. He could hear Chris and the girls yelling at him to come back, but he ignored them. He could see the pattern now, almost hear the pulse of the music as he danced, spun, dodged, rolled, and leaped his way through the traps. By the time he got to the other end of the room he was breathing heavily and there was a light sheen of sweat on his face. Directly in front of him was a lever. He took a deep breath and pulled it. The blades halted their graceful movements and retracted into the ceiling, floor, and walls. He bent over, trying to catch his breath as the others raced towards him.

“What have I told you about scaring me like that?!” Chris yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him into a hug.

“Sorry.” Leon mumbled into his chest.

“At least explain what you're gonna do before you just throw yourself into danger like that.” A chirp made them both look down. Mimic stood with his front paws on Leon's legs. He chirped again, a little angrier this time. “Nope, he's mine.” Chris laughed, pulling Leon closer.

“Yours, huh?” The younger man pulled out of the embrace with a laugh then reached down and picked up his now growling pet.

“Yup.”

“I can get behind that.” Leon grinned. “But right now we need to find that second key.”

“Where would it be?” Chris asked.

“Search for a little keyhole.” Leon replied. “We should start in the corners and work our way around the walls.”

“Good plan.” Jill beamed at him then handed his jacket to Chris as Leon put Mimic in his sling. The fox grumbled, but eventually settled so that he was resting his front paws and head in the crook of Leon's neck. Chris helped him with his jacket then the four of them went to separate corners of the room. After almost an hour of searching Sheva found the keyhole and called everyone over.

“Nice work. ' Leon told her as he handed over the key he'd gotten in the Victorian room. She smiled brightly, taking it, then turned and unlocked the panel she'd found on the wall beneath the burning aqueduct. Inside was the second golden disc. Leon stared at it then sat down quickly, clutching at his head as more memories rushed to the surface of his mind.

 

**January 13 th, 2010**

**West Virginia: Omega Facility**

 

_ Leon opened his eyes to find himself strapped to a metal chair. Standing in front of of him was a man wearing glasses and a lab coat. “Good morning Mr. Kennedy...or should I say Subject 0198?” The scientist chuckled. “I've injected you with an enhanced version of the Plagas parasite. I've become tired of your attempts to escape.” Leon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He wasn't afraid of the Plagas, he was fucking immune, but he wasn't going to tell this bastard that. “Soon now you'll be under my complete control.”  _

_“You Jameson?” Leon asked, his voice rough._

_“I am, why?”_

_“No reason.” The blonde agent shrugged, leaning back against his chair. It was pretty flimsy even though it was made of metal and he knew it would be easy to break. He listened to Jameson's villain speech with half an ear. Something about using Leon to take over the Government so that Umbrella would be born again. Whatever. He'd heard it all before. Ada had talked about it, but then Wesker had betrayed her and tried to destroy the world. After that she'd started helping Leon find ways to destroy the ever growing Neo Umbrella. They had discovered a lot about the company's employees and agenda._

_ One of the dossiers Ada had brought him had been about this man, Alexander Jameson. He was one of Neo Umbrella's top scientists and the man who had figured out how to regenerate Wesker from the small piece of his body Tricell had recovered from the volcano Chris and Sheva had dropped him in. Leon smirked, realizing he had destroyed the man's pet project. No wonder he was so pissed. Their past couple sessions together had always ended with Jameson trying to beat the crap out of him.  _ Trying _ being the operative word. As a scientist the man was extremely intelligent, but he was weak physically. He also had no idea how to hit someone so he ended up hurting himself more that Leon. A stinging slap across the face brought Leon out of his thoughts.  _

_“You aren't even listening!” Jameson screeched._

_“Nope.” Leon laughed, licking blood from his lips. “How's your hand?”_

_“INSOLENT FOOL!!” The scientist screamed._

_“That bad huh?”_

_“ARRRGH!!” Jameson tore at his hair in frustration._

_“Calm yourself Jameson, you are just playing into the young man's hands.” A new voice spoke from behind Leon. There were heavy footsteps then Jeremy Burgess came into view. Leon glared at the Tricell scientist who's life he had saved. It was because of_ him _that the government agent was in this position. “You will tell us what we want to know, 0198, willingly or not.” Leon spat in his face. His reward was a fist across his jaw, one that made him see stars. Apparently Burgess knew how to hit. This was going to get interesting. He decided that now was when he should make his move._

_“I'll tell you nothing.” He grinned bloodily then slammed his forehead into Burgess's nose. The man had made the mistake of leaning closer to him. Amateurs. With his forward momentum established Leon shoved his arms out, breaking the chair with a loud snap. He heard Jameson screaming as he freed himself from the restraints._

_“How?” Burgess stared up at him in pain. He'd fallen to the floor when Leon had broken his nose. The blonde agent crouched in front of him._

_“I'm smarter than you.” He hissed then reached out and snapped the scientist's neck with his bare hands._

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 12:15pm**

**West Virginia: Mansion-Ballroom**

 

Chris sighed with relief as Leon jerked and came out of his memories. “Ugh.” The younger man grunted, sitting up and rubbing at his temples. “As much as I like having my memories return, I could do without the headache.”

“Here.” Jill held out a packet of aspirin and a bottle of water.

“Thanks.” Leon took them both then swallowed the pills and gulped down almost half the bottle of water.

“No problem.” The blonde woman smiled. “You should finish up that water. You need to stay hydrated.” Leon sighed before complying.

“How long was I out of it?” He asked, absently petting Mimic, who was sleeping on his lap.

“Almost twenty minutes.” Chris replied. “We checked in with HQ a few minutes ago to let them know what we'd found so far.” He grinned. “They're quite impressed with you.”

“Awesome.” Leon rolled his eyes then got shakily to his feet after slipping Mimic into his sling.

“If you decide to stop working for the Government I'm sure the BSAA will take you.” Jill laughed. Chris nodded in agreement. His superiors were _very_ interested in getting Leon on the payroll. They viewed the younger man as a valuable asset with the knowledge he had of Neo Umbrella and how they operated. While he'd been on the radio with them they'd asked Chris to try and recruit Leon. He wanted to, but he wasn't sure his lover would appreciate that.

“Do they know I'm not really a team player?” Leon chuckled.

“I made sure to mention it.” Chris laughed, getting to his feet. “Guess the break's over. Let's go.” He started heading towards the door. The others followed after a moment. They walked back to the Hercules statue and Sheva placed the golden disc in the slot at its base. A loud clank echoed through the room followed by a metallic grinding.

“Door's open.” Leon muttered then led them back towards the ballroom. Instead of entering they hung a left. A minute later they found a huge opening in the wall. Beyond it lay a shadowed staircase. “Welcome to the Omega Facility, ladies and gents.” The blonde agent grinned. “Please fasten your seat belts and return your seats to the upright position, this is going to be one hell of a ride.”

 

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**A/N:** Ah, the return of Leon the snarky badass lol. But in all seriousness, hold on tight because this is going to get crazy with the action! More badassery and sarcasm to come haha.

 

 

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**Chapter Fourteen**

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 12:30pm**

**West Virginia: Omega Facility-Entrance**

 

Leon crouched next to the control panel for the elevator and popped open the front covering to expose the wires beneath. He could hear the others arguing behind him. They were of differing opinions on what to do next since they didn't think there was any power, silly children. Of course there was power, how else could all those traps work and doors open? Leon smiled as he pulled a couple wires and hit a button. The elevator whirred to life, startling the BSAA agents. Bright lights began clicking on as they started their descent. Leon got to his feet and grinned cheekily at his friends, who were staring at him with a mixture of shock and awe.

“How...” Chris was dumfounded.

“Its a simple override.” The younger man shrugged.

“But, there was no power.”

“Not true. There were no  _ lights _ .” Leon laughed. “That doesn't mean there wasn't any power. Seriously, Chris, think about it. What did the traps and doors run on; the blood of their victims?” He chuckled. His lover glared at him half-heartedly. 

“Smart-ass.”

“Better than being a dumb-ass.” Leon smirked. The others laughed.

“You trying to tell me something Rookie?”

“Maybe.” The blonde replied coyly. Jill and Sheva snickered softly, while Chris threw back his head and barked out a laugh. They all sobered immediately at the sound of a loud roar. Leon ran to the railing of the elevator and looked down. They were rapidly descending towards a Gigante. “Fuck!” He grabbed the handle of his Desert Eagle and drew the weapon quickly. Bracing himself against the railing he aimed carefully and shot the giant in the eye. It roared in pain, clutching at its face.

“How the fuck did that thing get loose?!” Chris shouted as Leon fired again.

“That would be my bad.” Leon laughed, remembering one of his escape attempts. He had been trying to get a door open and had accidentally opened a few of the wrong ones. “They should really label their controls better, I mean seriously. How hard is it to take a sharpie and write 'Exit' on a big red button?” He whooped as the parasite burst from the Gigante's back. Without thinking about the consequences, Leon swung himself up and over the railing. He landed on the B.O.W.'s back and fired rapidly into the gruesome protrusion. Before it could explode he leaped to the floor, lashing out with a boot as a mutated dog he hadn't seen leaped at his face. The dog yelped and fell away from him giving Leon enough time to draw his Glock, left handed, and put a bullet between its eyes. Mimic barked a warning. He spun and fired into the face of a second dog. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Gigante melting away and more dogs heading his way. A shotgun roared next to him, blasting the mutants into oblivion then everything went quiet.

“Leon.” Something in Chris's voice made the younger man wince. He sounded  _ pissed _ . Leon hesitantly turned to face the bigger man. “What possessed you to jump over the railing of a  _ moving  _ elevator onto the back of a  _ fucking _ giant monster?”

“Uh...” Leon was at a loss. The way Chris put it made it sound like a  _ bad _ idea. 

“Where you even  _ thinking _ ?” The older man roared. 

“Well if you don't get the parasite fast enough it disappears and you...” He trailed off as Chris's eyes flashed.

“You could have  _ died _ !” His lover spat. “What if you had missed landing on that thing?!”

“He's kind of hard to m-” A hand covered his mouth and Chris's eyes blazed.

“You were being fucking reckless, Kennedy.” Oh shit. He only used Leon's last name when he was  _ royally _ pissed. “I can put up with a lot of your fucking shenanigans, but not that...I don't want to lose you.” Leon put his hand over Chris's and pulled it from his mouth.

“I'm sorry Chris.” He said quietly, realizing now why the older man was so upset. “I honestly thought it was a good idea at the time, but you're right. It was reckless.” Now that the adrenaline was fading he could see all the things that could have gone wrong. He pulled Chris into a hug as a tear slid down the other man's cheek. He mentally kicked himself and was about to speak when he saw something move in the dark opening of a vent behind Chris. Without another thought he pulled the bigger man down to the floor as a long tongue shot out of the darkness. He felt the barbed end slice his cheek as they went down and winced. Jill and Sheva spun and fired as one when the Licker launched itself out of the vent. It fell to the floor with a shriek then got back up. Leon aimed his Glock and fired into its brain just as the girls did the same. “We'll talk more when we get out of here.” He grunted, helping Chris back to his feet.

“Good plan.” The older man said shakily.

 

**12:45pm**

**Omega Facility: B1-Security**

 

After the initial attack by the elevator Chris told Jill to take point and had Sheva bring up the rear. Leon had grumbled a bit, but fell into step next to him. So far they hadn't met with anymore resistance as they walked down the hall of the security floor. Chris was on edge, though, the floors were covered in debris and the walls were smeared with blood. Each room they passed was decorated in the same manner and many of the vents were broken and splattered with gore. Bullets holes scored almost every surface. “What the hell did you do to this place?” Chris asked the man next to him as he stared at a gaping hole in one of the walls.

“Heh, as much as I could.” Leon replied with a lopsided grin. “I sabotaged the shit out of everything I could get my hands on. It was awesome. Every time I saw Jameson he had more and more patches of hair missing.”

“Jameson?”

“Alexander Jameson, the scientist who ran this place.” The younger man explained. “He's the guy I killed at the Vermont facility, the one who injected me with his version of the Plagas.” He snickered. “I neglected to tell him it wouldn't work. Think he was surprised?” Chris laughed. “Anyway, they...he and Burgess, were trying to get me to tell them how I knew about Wesker.”

“Burgess?” Jill asked. “ _Jeremy_ Burgess. The Tricell scientist who went missing after we rescued him from the Dakota facility?”

“Yup...wanna know _why_ he went missing?” Leon's eyes sparkled mischievously.

“Why?”

“I snapped his neck.” The government agent snickered. “He was surprised.” He went on to explain what he'd remembered after seeing the key back in the ballroom of the mansion.

“So that's why you were smiling.” Chris laughed.

“Yup, it was awesome. Anyway, so I pretty much gave Jameson a bad case of mange with all the shit I pulled. It amazes me how stupid he was. He kept leaving the door to my cell unlocked, sure he had me tied up...well his version of it anyway. The guy was an amateur when it came to restraining a prisoner, I mean seriously, who hangs someone from chains in a ceiling and leaves their feet free? Like I said, an amateur.” Chris snickered shaking his head as he listened to the younger man talk. “To make a long story short I kept escaping and wreaking havoc on the entire facility. Every time I got to the elevator they'd catch me though...that sucked and have I ever mentioned how much I hate stun rods?”

“No, but I can sympathize.” Chris smiled. It was nice to hear the energy in Leon's voice. For the past couple months it had been seriously lacking and it seemed like the more things he remembered the more sane he got.

“Dude, I remember this one time I shut down the cryo...uh-oh...I hope you guys won't hate me by the time this is over.”

“Why, what did you do?” The three BSAA agents asked as one.

“Um...well, the third level was full of stasis tubes and cryo chambers...and I kind of shut them all off.” Leon laughed uneasily as they glared at him.

“What was in there?” Chris growled.

“Well-” His reply was cut off by the sound of a chainsaw. An ululating shriek cut through the air. “Those for one.” Leon pointed towards something behind Jill. Chris whirled to find two creatures facing them. Both he'd seen back in Africa. One of the Majini held a chainsaw and was the size of a normal human. The other was huge, with elongated limbs. Over its face was a feathered tribal mask and in one hand it held a huge spiked mace. It was from him the ululating cry had come.

“For fuck's sake!” Chris yelled as the chainsaw Majini came running towards them. A bullet hit it in the center of its burlap covered face, exploding the back of its head wide open and causing it to fly backwards into the Giant Majini. Both fell to the floor to the sounds of Leon laughing. Before Chris could stop him his lover ran forward, Desert Eagle extended, and fired repeatedly into the chest of the Giant Majini that was struggling to get to its feet. It let out a cry then went limp. A moment later both creatures disintegrated.

“Heh, fuckers.” Leon snorted.

“Leon, what did we talk about not even ten minutes ago?” Chris asked with a sigh.

“That wasn't reckless.” The younger man turned to him with a half smirk. “That was bad ass.” Jill snorted a laugh and Chris gave her a withering glare.

“Well it was.” She shrugged. The older man sighed wondering who was really in charge here.

 

**01:15pm**

**Omega Facility: B1-Security**

 

Leon sighed as he walked next to Chris. The bigger man had forbade him from taking the initiative without orders. Why couldn't he understand that that was how Leon operated? This team thing sucked. He sighed again and bit back a smile as his lover glared at him. It was fun to needle the man. “Stop looking like I kicked your dog.” Chris growled.

“I don't have a dog.” Leon retorted. “I have a fox, and if you kicked him you'd lose a couple toes.” Sheva giggled behind them.

“Don't encourage him Sheva.” Chris grumbled.

“God, Redfield, why are you so grumpy?” Leon sighed, taking this opportunity to reload his magnum.

“Why are you so insubordinate?” His partner shot back.

“I'm a rebel.” The blonde smiled lazily at him, sliding a new magazine into his Desert Eagle and racking the slide to chamber a round before holstering it. “And you love it.” Chris snorted, looking away to hide his smile.

“Hey, I found the control room.” Jill called from up ahead of them. She was standing in front of a door labeled 'Security Controls'. “It needs a key card though.”

“Pssh, key card.” Leon scoffed walking up to the small device by the door. He pulled out his knife and popped the casing off. “Oh this'll be fun.” He muttered staring at the mass of wires.

“Why don't we just try to find the key?” Chris asked.

“Because this will take less time.”

“What if you break it?”

“That's the point though.” Leon grinned. “You have to break it to...wait.” He frowned and looked back at Chris. “Are you ordering me to _not_ do this my way? Because I can put this back together if you _really_ want to search for a key card that might not even be on this floor.”

“Leon, you are impossible.”

“I know, but seriously, do you want to look around?”

“Yeah. Jill, Sheva go back the way we came and search the rooms there. Leon and I will go the other way.” Chris ordered. The girls nodded and turned to walk back down the hall.

“Ooh I like it when you-”

“Shut it Leon.” The older man snapped. “Put that shit back together and let's go.”

“Fine.” Leon sighed then put the casing back over the wires and got to his feet. He followed Chris to the next room and looked around half-heartedly. This follow-the-leader- shit was a bunch of bull. He rarely listened to the _President_ , why should he have to listen to Chris? The answer to _that_ was easy. It was because both he loved _and_ respected the other man. With another sigh he looked harder for the damn key. “Its not here.” He said after a while. Chris nodded and they went to the next room. As they were searching Leon heard a muffled clicking sound. With a frown he stopped moving and listened. Nothing.

“You gonna help me or not?” Chris snapped.

“Shhh.” Leon held up a hand, but the other man started berating him. “Chris please, I thought I heard a-” He was cut off by a tongue wrapping around his neck.

“Leon!” Chris yelled as the younger man was yanked off his feet and pulled toward a vent on the wall. It took everything Leon had to twist so he ran face first into the solid surface instead of his back where Mimic was. He wished he had brought his wrist knife. Due to his lack of air his fingers were going numb and were fumbling with the strap on his sheath. A hand grabbed his ankle as he was dragged up the wall and half into the vent, but the Licker was stronger than both of them. “LEON!!” Chris screamed as he was dragged away through the ventilation system.

“Fucker.” Leon ground out, glaring at the creature up ahead of him. They were heading towards a hole that had been ripped through the soft metal siding. Just before they reached it Leon grabbed his gun. “Sorry Mimic.” He reached forward and fired into the Licker's brain. The sound was deafening in the tight space, making the fox yelp in pain. The tongue around his neck dissolved, allowing him to breath again. He couldn't _hear_ very well, but at least he wasn't being throttled. Dimly he could hear Chris calling his name. He lifted his head and saw another Licker coming towards him. “Fuck.” He crawled further down the shaft until he found another one that headed down. The blonde carefully maneuvered over it and waited. A moment later the Licker came into view. “Bring it.” Leon hissed. His hearing had cleared so this time he heard the cough and grabbed the tongue before it could impale him then yanked as hard as he could. The motion pulled them together and as they fell down the shaft he jerked his knife from its sheath and stabbed the Licker repeatedly in its exposed brain.

 

**01:45pm**

**Omega Facility: B1-Security**

 

Chris felt cold all over. Leon wasn't responding to any of his calls and there were no more sounds coming from the vent. Jill and Sheva had come running when they'd heard his frantic calling. They'd found the key card a few rooms back and had finally convinced him to go to the security control room to look for Leon on the cameras. So far, nothing. Not one sign of the man he loved more than life itself. Chris put his face in his hands and began to sob. This was all his fault. If he had just shut up when Leon had told him to the younger man would have been able to hear what was coming up behind him. Now he was probably dead. Chris felt Jill's arms around him and he leaned into her warm embrace. “We'll find him Chris.” She said quietly. “He's still alive.”

 

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**A/N:** Ok, before y'all yell at me may I remind you that I promised no one would die. I never said they wouldn't get separated from each other or hurt lol.

 

 

 

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**Chapter Fifteen**

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 02:00pm**

**Omega Facility: B2-R &D Offices**

 

Leon groaned as he crawled out of the vent. He was careful of Mimic as he fell to the floor. With another groan of pain he pulled off his jacket then lifted Mimic out of his sling and set him on his lap. He leaned against the wall breathing heavily and and began to analyze his situation. His radio had broken in the fall, he was separated from the others, his throat felt like it was on fire, there was a massive contusion on his left shoulder from when he'd landed on it at the base of the shaft he'd fallen down, and he didn't know where the hell he was. Mimic whimpered and crawled up to curl against his side. “Sorry about that Mimic.” He whispered, stroking the fox's now dirty white fur. “I probably should have left you at home.” Mimic licked his hand and chirped softly. “You're right, no use dwelling. We need to figure out how to get a hold of Chris. He's probably going nuts right about now thinking he got us killed.” 

He got to his feet and looked around. There were small cubicle offices as far as the eye could see. “Guess we found office land.” He walked over to one of the cubicles and sat down at the computer. Mimic jumped into his lap as he turned it on. The computer screen flickered to life and after a moment an alert popped up asking for a user name and password. “Heh, fuck you.” He laughed then cracked his knuckles and got to work. Within seconds he was in the system with administrative access. It took him a bit longer to gain access to the Facility's floor plan.

The floor he was on held the offices for Research and Development and was only one level beneath where the others were, which was B1. So he was on B2. B3 held the Cryo and stasis chambers. B4 was composed of the labs where the scientists performed their experiments. B5 held the staff living quarters and B6 was labeled as 'Disposal'. “Fuckers.” Leon muttered. He had been imprisoned on B6. “Should be called the dungeon.” He printed off a map for each floor then turned the computer off. A phone on the desk caught his eye as he was about to get to his feet. Deciding to take a chance, he called the Security Control room on B1.

“Hello?” Jill's voice was cautious when she answered after the third ring.

“Heh, instincts paid off.”

“Leon!” She gasped. “Oh my God, are you okay?”

“Eh, nothing I can't handle. Chris okay?”

“He'd been going out of his fucking mind, here he wants to talk to you.”

“Leon?” Chris's voice was rough.

“Hey Redfield.” Leon grinned, relaxing now that he could hear the older man's voice.

“You didn't answer my calls...I was worried...I thought...”

“I'm fine, but my radio broke.”

“Where are you?”

“B2. I fell down a ventilation shaft and ended up in office land.” Leon froze at a growl from Mimic. It was followed by a loud snuffling. “Fuck.” He closed his eyes, blood running cold, then stood slowly and looked around. Three Regenerators were closing in on him and he didn't have a thermal scope.

“Leon! Are you-”

“I gotta go Chris.” The younger man said quickly then hung up the phone, shoved the maps in his pocket, grabbed Mimic and crawled out of the cubicle. Very carefully he moved past the first Regenerator, fortunately their sense relied heavily on hearing. If he was quiet enough and stayed low they, hopefully, wouldn't notice him. Suddenly the phone he had just been using began to ring loudly. The creatures growled and turned in that direction.  _ Thanks babe _ , Leon blew a kiss to the camera on the wall above him. He  _ could _ have taken the monsters out, but without a thermal scope it was reckless. Leon made a mental note to bring one the next time he had to deal with these fuckers. 

He quickly rounded the corner and froze. How the  _ hell _ did this many of those things get onto this floor? Down the hall from him were three more Regenerators. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed his options. If he shot these bastards the others would come running...well shuffling, they didn't move all that fast...unless you shot off their legs, which was weird but so not helping. He was running out of time. There was a hallway to his right that led to the, he checked his map...Armory?  _ Hell _ yeah. Leon swung Mimic into his sling and sprinted to his right. If he could get to the Armory and find what he needed he might just get through this alive.

 

**02:30pm**

**Omega Facility: B1-Security**

 

Chris watched Leon's progress across the cameras. He could see that the younger man was favoring his left shoulder and wondered what was wrong. He was itching to get moving so that he could meet up with his lover, but neither Jill or Sheva would let him leave on his own and they were still collecting as much data as they could from the computer in this room. “Smart boy.” Jill said fondly, watching Leon kneel in front of an electronic lock.

“What is that room?” Chris asked, squinting at the blurry lettering on the door.

“An armory.” His friend grinned. “There's one on every floor for security purposes.” Within seconds Leon had the door open and was getting to his feet. Suddenly his head came up and in the next second he was scrambling into the room, slamming the door behind him. Not two seconds later a creature Chris had never seen before came into view. It looked kind of like a gorilla, but had no fur. At its elbows, knees, and fingers it had sharp bone-like protrusions. When a second one came on screen and they began attacking the door Leon had just disappeared through Chris had had enough.

“He needs help.” He spun and ran for the door.

“Wait!” Jill cried. “Take this extra radio and map.” Chris grabbed the items from her and set off at a run. He checked the map for the quickest route and turned down a hallway that would take him to the elevators. He had to shoot a few dogs as he ran, but he made it to the elevator bay unscathed. Once inside the lift he jabbed the button that said B2 and prayed that he would make it in time.

 

**02:40pm**

**Omega Facility: B2-R &D**

 

Leon ignored the loud pounding on the door as he searched through the shelves for what he needed. So far he had found a silencer that fit his Glock and extra ammo for both of his guns. He smashed open a lock on a gun case and whistled appreciatively. A fully loaded RPG launcher along with two extra grenades lay in silicone padding. This would do nicely to get rid of the monkeys. A metallic tearing behind him told him they almost had the door open. Without a second thought he snatched up the heavy launcher and dropped to one knee at the far end of the room. “Fire in the hole!” He yelled then aimed and pulled the trigger. There was a loud hiss of air than a roar followed by an explosion that knocked him back a couple feet. He grinned when he saw the huge hole where the wall and monkeys used to be. “God I love these things.” He dropped the launcher to the side and opened the next gun case.

This one held a M16 assault rifle fully equipped with a custom stock and scope. Leon lifted it out of its silicone padding and thumbed the button on the scope. Night vision, check. Zoom, check. Infared, check. “Sweet.” He snatched the silencer it came with out of the case and attached it to the barrel with a deft twist. “Ha, motherfuckers, now I'm ready for ya.” Leon got to his feet as Mimic chirped happily. “I know, this is fun right?” He grinned while he loaded some extra magazines for the rifle. “We get to kill things and blow shit up and no one's going to yell at us, except maybe Chris. Shooting that RPG at something this close to me was, I will admit, _slightly_ reckless...oh hey C4.” Leon crawled over to the small case of his favorite explosive and flipped the lid open. There were three one pound blocks left. “Awesome, now how to carry it.” He'd forgotten his jacket back at the cubicles so he searched around for a vest of some kind. He found one made of a more flexible bullet-proofing material that had extra pockets. “Perfect.”

After slipping off his shoulder holster and Mimic's sling he pulled the vest on then put the holster and sling over it. It was a bit bulky, but he wasn't planning on going into the vents anytime soon. This facility had some serious pests inhabiting theirs. Leon loaded up his pockets with extra ammo, chunks of C4, and blasting caps, making sure to keep these on the opposite side of the explosives, then got to his feet. He swung his knew rifle over his shoulder then scooped up Mimic, who was chirping excitedly, and put him back in the sling. “What are you so happy about?” Leon laughed as he kicked some flaming debris out of his way and exited the room.

He jogged back down the hall towards the Regenerators, determined to get his jacket back. Chris had bought it for him a couple days before the mission and he wanted it back. At the first snuffle he brought up his new M16. A second later he turned a corner and found himself facing five of the bastards. Leon dropped to one knee, switched the rifle to semi-auto, put his eye to the scope and went to work. With the Plagas now visible it took him less than a minute to take out all five Regenerators. “ _So_ much easier with a scope.” He muttered to himself as he continued down the hall. Mimic made a sound of agreement before resting his head against Leon's neck.

In office land a group of six Regenerators had gathered around the still ringing phone. Leon lifted his M16 and took them out then grabbed his jacket. After slipping it on he snatched up the phone and put it to his ear. “Leon! Chris needs your help, go to the elevator bay!” Jill said in a rush before he could speak. Immediately he dropped the phone and raced towards the far end of the room.

“Stupid, Chris, fucking stupid.” He swore under his breath as he sprinted down the hall that led to the elevators. Up ahead he heard a loud roar and put on speed. A minute later he skidded around a corner to find his lover surrounded by three monkeys. Two more were approaching from another hallway. Leon put his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. He'd discovered back at the Vermont facility that high-pitched noises disoriented them...and, incidentally, also pissed them off. All five roared angrily, clutching at their heads, and turned to face him. Leon drew his magnum and managed to shoot three of them in the face before they charged him. Two dropped dead from a bullet to the brain, the third only had a shattered jaw. He ran to his right and circled around the elevators until he was next to a bleeding and half-conscious Chris. “Who's being reckless now, Cowboy?” He hissed angrily, grabbing onto the shoulder of the older man's vest. Leon dragged him into one of the elevators and dropped the brunette to the floor. He jabbed the button for the first floor, swearing under his breath...nothing. A display screen flashed red with one word 'LOCKDOWN'. “Fuck!” The blonde yelled then ripped off his jacket and put it under Chris's head.

“Leon?” The brunette moaned.

“Shut up, Cowboy.” The younger man growled then slid off the sling that contained Mimic and placed it on the floor next to Chris. “Don't move Mimic. I'm going to have to do something stupid and I don't want you getting hurt...that goes double for you Redfield.” Leon then got to his feet and raced back out to where the monkeys had begun to mill around aimlessly. Having lost sight of their prey they were now confused and bumbling. He leaped onto the back of the nearest one and fired his magnum point blank into the back of its skull. The last two roared and beat at their chests then charged towards him. Leon waited until the last possible second before launching himself into the air. He twisted mid-leap and shot into each creature's brain. They collapsed to the floor in a boneless heap just as he landed in a crouch a few feet away. He watched them dissolve through narrowed eyes then got to his feet and returned to the elevator.

Mimic had curled up on Chris's chest and was chirping softly while licking the big man's face. Leon smiled as he knelt next to them. He opened the first aid kit Chris had strapped to his vest then carefully checked then sprayed and bandaged his lover's wounds. The brunette had lost consciousness sometime during Leon's last fight. He wasn't worried though since the other man didn't have a concussion, just a few cuts that had bled profusely. With the wounds sealed and covered all Chris needed was a little rest, maybe some blood supplements, and he'd be fine. Leon sighed then closed the elevator doors and settled back to wait for the man to wake up.

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapters 16-18

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**Chapter Sixteen**

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 03:30pm**

**Omega Facility: B2-R &D Elevator Bay**

 

Chris opened his eyes with a groan. His body felt heavy and his head pounded. A warm weight on his chest forced him to look down. Mimic blinked back at him then chirped happily and licked his face. “Chris!” Jill's voice was loud in his ear and made him groan in pain. “Thank god you're awake! Where's Leon?! Are you ok?”

“Jill slow down.” Chris moaned, clutching at his head. “I have a splitting headache, but otherwise I'm fine. Leon, you...” He trailed off as he looked around the elevator compartment. It was empty except for him and Mimic. “Shit.” He grumbled, putting an arm around Mimic as he sat up. “Jill, do you see Leon on any of the cameras?”

“No! That's why I was asking where he was. I haven't seen or spoken to him since he closed the elevator. I had no idea if you were ok or not.” She was crying now.

“Morning Cowboy.” A deep, familiar, slightly amused sounding voice came from above him. Chris looked up to find Leon smirking at him from an opening in the elevator ceiling.

“Found him.” The brunette frowned, then his eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you doing up there Kennedy?”

“Well, _Redfield_ , the elevator isn't working so I decided to try and fix it.”

“Give that little prick the extra radio.” Jill growled, her panicked tears had been replaced by anger. Chris chuckled to himself as he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the extra com link they'd brought. Leon leaned down through the hatch to take it from him then disappeared. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Jill screeched as soon as he'd turned it on.

“I actually have quite a long list, you'll have to be more specific.” Chris bit his lip to keep from laughing at his lover's snarky reply. Jill launched into a tirade about him not being considerate enough to let the rest of his team know that both he and Chris were safe. This went on for a good five minutes until Leon finally snapped. “You done?” His tone was ice and cut through Jill's rant like a knife.

“I haven't even gotten started.” The woman hissed. “This entire mission has been one disaster after another and _you_ can't seem to get with the program that we are a _team_ and need to work together.” There was a lurch and then the elevator began to move. A few seconds later Leon landed softly in a crouch beside Chris. The younger man's face was expressionless, but his eyes glittered with anger as he listened to Jill admonish him.

“Shut up.” Leon's voice was quiet, but somehow Jill heard him.

“What did you just-”

“I said _shut up_.” Leon yelled, getting to his feet. “If you would quit bitching at me for a minute I can explain why I couldn't use the radio.”

“Bitching?!”

“Jill, let him talk.” Chris snapped, also standing. His friend went silent.

“I tried using Chris' radio after I gave him first aid, but it was jammed for some reason. When I tried getting the doors back open they were stuck so I couldn't contact you until I got the damn elevator fixed, which took a while. I had to remove the communications inhibitor hard wired into the electrical panel on top of the elevator as well as figure out how to release the brakes, all without a fucking manual. The only fucking reason we are even having this goddamn conversation is because I fixed it so that we could. So get off your fucking high horse and give me a fucking break!” There was silence on the girl's end. Chris put his hand on Leon's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze, then he noticed the other man's cut and bleeding hands.

“Leon!” He exclaimed grabbing them. “What the hell happened?”

“Wires are sharp.” Leon shrugged as he pulled his hands from Chris' grasp and knelt next to the still open first aid kit. “The cuts aren't very deep...just annoying.” He sprayed them with antiseptic then wrapped a bandage around each hand and got back to his feet.

“I'm sorry Leon.” Jill said humbly. “I shouldn't have bitched at you like that, I've just been freaking out and it didn't occur to me that the radios could be jammed. When Chris rode down to that floor we were able to communicate just fine.”

“That was before the sensors picked up the presence of B.O.W.s.” Leon responded absently as he stretched his fingers. “There was an alert on the elevator when we got on, restricting its movement until Lockdown was lifted.” His lips twitched up in a smirk. “There's probably a button where you girls are sitting that would have fixed the elevator over a half an hour ago.” There was silence for a couple minutes then both women swore loudly. Leon laughed. “Apology accepted though.” With the tension lifted Chris breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now that we have our shit together.” He laughed. “Let's regroup and figure out where to go from here.”

 

**03:45pm**

**Omega Facility: B1-Security**

 

“So why do you keep calling me Cowboy?” Chris asked as they walked towards where Jill and Sheva were. Leon grinned crookedly up at him.

“Because I can.” He replied with a chuckle. Mimic let out a bark of warning and he spun on his heel and fired into the face of a leaping dog with his M16. The mutant animal yelped then fell to the floor where it dissolved into a reddish brown stain.

“You're more of a cowboy than I am.” Chris grumbled.

“This is true.” Leon shrugged. “In more ways than one.” He added with a suggestive wink and roll of his hips. The skin of the older man's neck and face flushed. The blonde agent laughed softly as they continued walking...Chris with a slight limp due to the erection he was now sporting.

“I swear to God, Rookie, when I get you home I'm gonna bend you over the table and-”

“Stop right there Mister.” Jill laughed. “I do _not_ want to hear what is going to happen to the table we eat off of.”

“So take out your ear piece.” Leon suggested then turned to Chris. “Go on.” He smirked at the crimson staining the brunette's face. Apparently he'd forgotten Jill and Sheva could hear them. He mumbled something unintelligible and covered his face with his hands. The roar of a chainsaw broke the sexual tension in the air.

“Coming up the hall behind you Chris!” Sheva cried. Leon grabbed the older man and yanked him forward as he drew his magnum. He spotted the burlap faced maniac, but before he could fire he felt something stab through his shoulder and wrench him backwards. Ignoring the pain and all three of his friend's screams he adjusted his aim and fired into the chainsaw Majini's head twice. It jerked then fell to the ground...onto its own chainsaw. He would have laughed if he wasn't in so much pain. Chris was shooting frantically at something behind him. Leon glanced at his shoulder to find the barbed end of a Licker's tongue.

“Fuck.” He muttered irritably then swore again as he was jerked backwards yet again. Leon grabbed his knife and twisted his body so that he could swipe at the other side of the tongue. The Licker screeched in pain then ripped the tongue out of his shoulder. He dropped to one knee as he continued turning and saw it trying to crawl back into the vent. “Oh no you don't fucker.” He growled, lifting his gun and shooting it in the spine. It dropped back to the floor where Chris finished it off. “I think they just tag teamed us.” Leon grumbled as the older man dropped to his knees in front of him. “Mimic okay?”

“Your pet is fine.” Chris replied. “You aren't.”

“I will be in a bit.” Leon sighed. “Let's get to the control room.” He put an arm around the bigger man's shoulders, silently asking for help getting up. Chris nodded before hauling him to his feet and supporting him as they walked. A minute later they reached the control room. Sheva opened the door and ushered them inside. There were tears streaking her face and concern filling her dark eyes. Leon gave her a half smile, trying to be reassuring, but then the adrenaline wore off and he blacked out.

 

**January 13 th, 2010**

**West Virginia: Omega Facility's**

 

_Leon smirked as he stepped over Burgess. Jameson was on the run and he could hear booted footsteps racing towards his location. He ran quickly out of the room and into the next where he had found the vent during his last escape attempt. As quietly as he could he pulled the grate off and pulled himself up into the dark space beyond then pulled the grate closed behind him. This time he was determined to get past the fourth floor before getting caught. It was a couple of hours before he finally made it to the third level. He'd gotten lost a few times in the ducts and was just starting to curse his luck when he found the grate that led into an elevator maintenance shaft._

_“Score.” He whispered excitedly, grabbing onto the bright yellow ladder next to the vent. He climbed as quickly as he could, but as soon as he heard the elevator above him start to move he knew he had to get out of there. At the first grate he saw Leon made a quick exit. Unfortunately the elevator stopped, blocking him in. “Shit.” He muttered then turned and hurried through the duct. They had used this tactic the last time too. By keeping the elevators moving at random it kept him from using the shaft to climb all the way to freedom._

_After a few minutes of crawling around he found a vent that led into an empty room...well sort of empty. Lining all the walls were liquid filled tubes containing living victims of the different viruses and parasites Umbrella had created or obtained. A slow smile spread across his face. He had reached level three, Cryo. “Perfect.” He chuckled and rubbed his hands together maliciously then slipped out of the vent into the silent room. As he moved past the gruesome tubed monstrosities he began to formulate a plan that would bring this facility to its knees. All he needed was a little luck and a computer that was hooked up to the facility mainframe._

_It took about three minutes to accomplish his devious plan and he laughed hysterically as he ran away from the guards that had found him, a little to late. He could hear moans and deafening roars in all the rooms he passed as the experiments came to life. He made it to the stairs before getting caught. The butt of a rifle crashed into his skull and he blacked out with a smile on his lips as screams echoed throughout the floor. This place was doomed._

 

**04:15pm**

**Omega Facility: B1-Security**

 

Chris frowned at the smile on Leon's face. He wondered how the man could be smiling while Sheva cleaned and stitched the wound in his shoulder. “He must be dreaming about you.” The African joked lightly, also seeing the smile.

“Nah, he's probably dreaming about blowing things up.” Chris snorted.

“Close, Cowboy.” His lover's groggy voice murmured. “I was remembering lovely sabotage...you know it only took me three minutes to shut down the entire third floor.”

“Oh, so you were smiling about letting all those creatures free.” Chris frowned.

“...Yes. It was and still is fucking hilarious.” Leon winced as Sheva tugged particularly hard on one of the stitches. “You would think so too if you got to watch Jameson rip chunks of hair out of his head while foaming at the mouth and screaming obscenities.” His eyes finally opened and he met Chris' gaze. The blue-gray orbs were twinkling merrily despite the pain he must have been in.

“I'm sure it was amusing.” The older man quirked a brow then pointed at Leon's injuries. “But was the entertainment worth getting hurt for?”

“Most definitely.” The blonde man grinned. “I'll heal, and I'll still have won.”

“Won what? The 'Most Annoying Asshole' prize?” Chris asked sarcastically.

“Oh I won that a long time ago.” Leon snickered. “But that's a story for another time. The game I was referring to is one I have been playing with Neo Umbrella for quite a few years. Its a little like chess. I take out one of their people or facilities and they try to take me out. So far they're 0 for....what is it now? 30?” He shrugged his good shoulder. “Something like that anyway. We've been playing this little game since I got back from Spain. It was there that I found out they existed.” His expression saddened. “Ada was working for Wesker back then. She stole the sample of the Plagas I'd retrieved...after saving my life at least three times...” He trailed off as he sat up. Sheva was finished tending his wound.

“Who is this Ada?” She asked sharply. Leon looked at her warily.

“Ada Wong.” Chris supplied, but refrained from saying more. The woman had been Leon's lover for many years as well as a traitor. A large part of him hated her with a passion, while a smaller part of him...well also hated her, but he knew what she'd meant to Leon so he couldn't bring himself to say anything bad about her.

“She worked for Wesker?” Sheva's brow furrowed and a slight edge came into her voice. “And was your friend?”

“Its...complicated.” Leon licked his lips nervously. “Ours was an...interesting relationship that I would prefer not to discuss. She's dead now so...” He pressed his lips together in a tight line and Chris saw a dull pain in his eyes. Anger mixed with jealousy burned in his chest. He hated that Leon felt pain over her death. Sure he understood it, but he didn't understand why the younger man would ally himself with a woman like that. “Anyway, after finding out about Neo Umbrella and Wesker's Organization I asked the President for special permission to hunt the bastards down. All this information is classified, by the way, so don't go repeating it.” Leon eyed each of them before continuing. “President Graham gave me carte blanche, so I went to work hunting them down. I put down a lot of outbreaks before they could even get started.” Suddenly he laughed. “I got an email from Wesker himself one day telling me to back off. “He grinned up at Chris' shocked face. “I had it framed.”

“What? Why?”

“Its like a badge of honor and after that it was game on for me. I kind of wanted him to come after me personally so I could kill him...never happened though.” He chuckled. “I was actually kind of disappointed when I heard you'd killed him.”

“Even though he was Wong's boss?” Sheva asked. Leon's eyes narrowed dangerously and Chris felt a cold aura floating off of him. This was not good.

“Ada is not up for discussion.” The government agent's voice was hard. “You know what? I'm done talking.” His eyes were like chips of ice when the moved to Chris. “You need to decide what we do from here, Redfield. Are we going to the server room on B4, or are we pulling back so the BSAA can mop up?” Chris swallowed hard. Leon had completely shut them all out...exactly like back at the Dakota facility.

 

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**A/N:** Sorry I know Sheva was kind of being a bitch, but she hates Wesker and anyone who would associate with him because of what he'd done to Jill, who as you know is her lover...well in my story anyway XD Don't hate her lol, I'll make her apologize later.

 

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**Chapter Seventeen**

 

**April 23 rd, 2010 05:45pm**

**Omega Facility: B1-Security**

 

Chris sighed. He and the rest of his team were exhausted. It had been a long day and they had all been injured at least once over the past eleven hours. Leon had the most, but that was to be expected seeing as how he took the most chances. The older man was annoyed to the extreme since he'd found out about his lover's shenanigans with the rocket launcher. Jill and Sheva had filled him in as they'd waited to hear from HQ. They'd found a server access room on the first floor and called it into their superiors. By the time their new orders came in Chris was the most pissed off he'd been in a long time. Leon could have killed himself with all the shit he'd pulled that day and when the brunette had called him on it the younger man had just glared at him. In a cold voice he'd told Chris to 'shove it' then went silent and hadn't spoken a word since. That had been over an hour ago back in the control room. They were now in the server room and had finally finished uploading all the facility's stored data to the BSAA via satellite.

He glanced over at Leon, who was now sitting in front of the computer, and frowned. What the hell was he up to now? Chris finished his conversation with HQ and was about to walk over when an alarm started blaring through the intercom. Red lights flashed and an eerily familiar voice issued from the speakers over head. “ _This facility will self-destruct in ten minutes._ ” Chris froze, his blood like ice in his veins. Leon stood and turned towards the BSAA agents with a smirk on his face.

“You gonna stand there all day?” He asked sarcastically as he scooped up Mimic from the floor and walked past them.

“What the fuck is it with you and blowing shit up?” Chris snapped as the four of them broke into a run and headed towards the lift they'd come down on.

“Makes me feel better.” Leon replied over his shoulder.

“ _This facility will self-destruct in nine minutes._ ”

“Fuck.” Jill and Sheva were laughing as Chris swore up a storm. “You're fucking insane, Kennedy, ya know that?”

“Yes.” Leon retorted as they clambered onto the lift. “I believe we established that months ago.” His hands deftly worked the lift controls and within seconds they were zooming upwards at a faster rate then they had come down.

“What is going on down there?” A voice suddenly shouted in Chris's ear. “Alpha team report!”

“HQ, this is Alpha team, our Government friend decided to destroy the facility so we have-”

“ _This facility will self-destruct in eight minutes._ ”

“-eight minutes to get the fuck out of here.” Chris finished with a glare at Leon, who smirked back.

“Patch us through to your team's frequency.”

“Yes sir.” He replied with a wince.

 

**05:49pm**

**West Virginia: Omega Facility-Elevator**

 

“Mr. Kennedy.” A new voice came over the com unit making Leon jump.

“How can I help you?” The blonde grinned, knowing he was about to get his ass chewed out by the director of the BSAA's North American division.

“We wanted the facility intact.”

“A bit late for that.” Leon chuckled. “I flipped the 'fuck this place' switch.”

“Why?”

“Its what I do, Mr. Director.” He shrugged.

“Your superiors will hear about this. There is vital information still in the lower le-”

“With all due respect, _sir_.” Leon cut in. “You can tell my superior, who is the President by the way, that I did my fucking _job_. Then you can go fuck yourself because I don't give a shit about what you _think_ is still in that facility. I-”

“ _This facility will self-destruct in seven minutes_.”

“-have another suggestion.” He added without missing a beat.

“Leon.” Chris warned.

“Don't try to tell me what to do. I just saved your organization a lot of time, money, and personnel. To get to the lower levels of this place would have been impossible without losing _a lot_ of people. They were overrun and there was a high chance that an outbreak could have occurred, which would have gotten _civilians_ killed. So kindly remove the fucking stick from your ass and get a fucking clue, you sanctimonious prick.” Leon practically snarled the last word just as the elevator came to a stop at the facility's entrance. Jill, Sheva, and Chris were staring at him in shock. “You have 90% of the data stored here, which is more information on Neo Umbrella than you had an hour ago.” He continued as he started up the stairs. “Get your asses moving, we have to close the blast door.” Leon snapped over his shoulder.

“ _This facility will self-destruct in six minutes_.” That got them moving.

“Is there anything else I can fucking explain to you Mr. Director?”

“You insubordinate little shit, how _dare_ you speak to me that way. I _will_ be speaking to my _friend_ the President about your behavior.” Leon stopped in his tracks in front of the Hercules statue, anger burning in his chest.

“I'm only going to say this once, Kevin Blythe.” He said coldly, reaching out to take the golden key at the statue's base. “Don't fuck with me. You won't like the consequences.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, _sir_ , its a friendly reminder not to get in over your head.” That said, Leon ripped the head set off and handed it back to Chris.

“You're insane.” The older man hissed.

“No, Redfield, I'm _pissed_. There's a difference.” He spun on his heel and stalked off through the maze, barely paying attention to his lover's continued conversation with Blythe. He led the others through the maze then back through the mansion. Once out on the lawn he stopped and turned to face the mansion. He stood there glaring at it as the BSAA teams gathered around in confusion. A few minutes later the ground rumbled beneath them and the mansion went up in a ball of flame. “I _win_.” Leon smiled coldly as he watched the place burn.

 

**April 24 th. 2010 09:30am**

**Washington DC: White House-Oval Office**

 

Chris fidgeted in his seat as his boss, Kevin Blythe, ranted about Leon's behavior to the President. His lover was lounging in one of the chairs in front of  _ his _ boss's desk. “Let me get this straight Kevin.” The President said calmly once Blythe had fallen silent. “Are you upset about the destroyed facility and lost information, or are you upset with Mr. Kennedy's, rather colorful, insults?”

“All of it!”

“Ah, I see.” The President turned to Leon. “Is everything he said true?”

“Yup.” The blonde grinned lazily. Chris and Blythe both stared at him in shock. “I did it, I said it, and I'm not sorry.” The President rolled his eyes, his lips twitching up in a smile as he leaned back in his chair.

“Why do you always get me into messes like this Leon?”

“Because you pay me to kill the bad guys, not make nice with pricks.” Leon laughed.

“You  _ could _ have handled the situation more diplomatically.” The President sighed, but his eyes were sparkling with mirth, which confused Chris. Wasn't Leon supposed to be getting in trouble? He thought Blythe and the President were close friends. Shouldn't the man be angry? “We didn't put you through those classes for nothing did we?”

“I don't like being second guessed about my decisions.” Leon replied, his eyes hardening as he looked at Blythe.

“Decisions like that need to be discussed by wiser people than yourself, Mr. Kennedy, before they are put into action.” Blythe snapped. “You can't just go around blowing up these facilities without going through the proper channels.”

“God.” Leon's head fell back against his chair as he groaned. “You damn bureaucrats and your fucking red tape...sorry sir.” He straightened with a grimace and a nod to his boss. “Forgot you were a bureaucrat.” The President laughed. Chris's mouth dropped in shock, as did Blythe's.

“You allow him to speak to you this way?” The BSAA Director asked incredulously.

“Leon has been a part of this Office much longer than I have Kevin.” The President replied. “I value his input on matters such as this.” He gestured to the briefing folder in front of him. “He has been on the front lines for over ten years fighting this never ending war against Bio-terrorism. He has stopped more outbreaks before they could begin with a few well placed bullets than your entire organization has since it was founded. Speaking of which, just last year he ended a plot to destroy the BSAA.” Blythe and Chris both looked at Leon in surprise. The younger man stared at the floor. “Who was behind it again Leon?”

“Neo Umbrella.” The blonde replied tightly.

“Ah yes. The same terrorist organization that ran the Delta and Omega facilities and who also had ties to both the Vermont and Dakota facilities.” The President frowned as he opened the brief in front of him. It contained Leon's report on the Omega facility. “You have read this, correct?” He asked, looking up at Blythe.

“Yes.”

“You agree with the contents?”

“The events described match those of my own agent's.”

“So you understand the hazards of leaving the place intact?”

“...I do, but sir, I-” The President held up a hand, cutting Blythe off.

“Leon Kennedy has been excessively trained to asses situations like this and act accordingly. I find no fault with his decision to destroy Omega and according to this report he had sufficient enough reason to take that course of action. It is obvious to me that this place was an outbreak waiting to happen. I will  _ not _ officially reprimand my best agent for doing what he was trained to do, nor will I ask him to publicly apologize to you for his insubordination.”

“But-”

“I'm not finished.” The President, once again, cut Blythe off. “Leon, you will apologize to Kevin right here in front of me, whether you mean it or not” Leon stood with a sigh.

“Mr. Blythe, I apologize for for being an ass.”

“Thank you Leon.” The President stood, gathering some papers on his desk. “I have a press conference to get to, if you'll excuse me gentlemen.” He walked towards the door as Blythe gaped at him. “Oh, and Leon?”

“Yeah boss?”

“Good work.”

 

**A/N:** Short chapter, I know, but I felt it was best to end it there. The next chapter will be dealing with Chris and Leon's reactions to the events that took place in the Omega facility. There will be angst, feels, and LOTS of swearing lol.

 

 

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**Chapter Eighteen**

 

 

**May 29 th, 2010 09:00pm**

**Washington DC: Leon's Loft**

 

Leon watched Mimic run around the small living room of his apartment and wished he was back at Chris's ranch. The older man had been pissed at him since leaving the Omega facility. Even after the meeting with the President. He'd been angry that Leon hadn't told him about saving the BSAA and hadn't let the younger man explain  _ anything _ . He'd just yelled and swore at him, so the blonde agent had punched him to shut him up.  _ “Call me when you pull your head out of your ass and finally clean the shit from your ears.” _ He'd snapped then walked away. It had been a month since then and he could feel his heart breaking. 

With the return of his memories Leon was able to stay in control of his own mind, which meant no panic attacks even though he was alone. It was a comfort, but part of him wanted an excuse to call Chris and beg him to let him come home. He missed being in Montana surrounded by the quiet peace the older man's ranch afforded. The city was dirty, loud and he was hating every minute of being there, which was why he found himself packing up everything he owned. The ghosts of his past were heavy in the air and he felt as though he couldn't catch a breath. This fact, coupled with having a pet, forced him to realize that he needed to move out of the city. He'd found a quiet place in the suburbs. It wasn't ideal, but it had a fenced in back yard and held none of his past. As soon as he finished packing, which wouldn't take very long since he didn't own much, he would be leaving the apartment.

He'd spoken with Jill about his plans when she'd called. She'd expressed her worry for both him and Chris. Leon told her that until the other man was ready to actually listen to him, he didn't want to speak to him. He was tired of not being allowed to defend himself against Chris's tirades. She said she understood and told him that if he needed to talk he could always call her or Sheva. That was never going to happen, but he'd told her would then said his goodbyes and hung up. The end of that conversation coincided with the beginning of his efforts to reconstruct the walls he'd placed around his heart. Chris had broken them wide open and made Leon believe that there was more to life than the war he'd been waging for over ten years.

Leon fought back tears as he wondered why had he thought their relationship would work? They were complete opposites and Chris had always been in heterosexual relationships before falling into bed together. Chris was also a raging fire. Passionate about everything and wore his heart on his sleeve. Leon felt a cold darkness deep within his soul that kept him distant from others. He kept all his emotion hidden with his sarcasm and icy mask. Sure it wasn't healthy, but it had been the only way to protect himself from getting hurt even more than he already had been.  _ That _ hadn't worked out so well when Chris had come barreling into his life like a hurricane.

For the first time in years Leon had opened up to someone. He'd allowed himself to feel, to love, to give this person everything he had that he thought was worth anything. Apparently it wasn't enough for Chris. The other man obviously preferred him to be weak and needy. That wasn't who Leon was though. He was stronger than that...but he wasn't sure if he was strong enough to let Chris go. He loved the arrogant bastard with all the broken little pieces of his heart. Sure he was angry, but he understood that Chris had been worried about him and upset that he'd taken risks that weren't necessary. He just wished the other man had given him a chance to apologize and explain his erratic behavior. Hopefully he got the chance to, but he wasn't going to chase after Chris to try. He'd done that already and he'd been ignored, which meant he was going to have to wait for Chris to come to him.

Waiting wasn't easy, though, and it was slowly killing him. Dragging himself out of bed every morning was getting harder and harder. Facing each new day was agony without Chris by his side. Every night he woke up screaming into the darkness with no one there to chase the nightmares away. It left him exhausted and without an appetite. He'd lost what little weight he'd gained living at the ranch and had dark circles under his eyes. He truly looked like hell and was having a hard time keeping his shit together.

 

**May 30th 2010 10:30am**

**Washington DC: Leon's Loft**

 

Chris knocked on the penthouse door and swallowed nervously as he waited for a response. He'd been a fool to let Leon walk away like he had. In the past month he had learned what had happened to the younger man while he had been in Jameson's clutches. The demented scientist had used drugs and torture to get Leon to tell him what he knew about Neo Umbrella. When that hadn't worked Jameson used more drugs and torture to break his prisoner's mind. He hadn't gotten any answers so he made sure that Leon would be unable to remember what he knew, then sent him to the Vermont facility to die. Fortunately the damage he'd done wasn't permanent. When Leon had begun to remember things his mind had repaired itself., which was why he had reverted back to the man they had met before going into the Dakota facility in January.

In a way he was relieved by the knowledge, but he was more hurt and angry about what had been done to his friend. He was also pissed at himself for not giving Leon a chance to explain. It had been immature for him to go off as he had on the man he loved without even trying to listen and he hoped the younger man could forgive him. Chris also prayed his lover was okay. Leon had been through so much in the past year. He'd lost the woman he loved, been tortured, almost died, and gone insane. He'd had some stability with Chris, but the brunette had gone and ruined that by being an asshole.

With a frown Chris checked his watch. It had been almost ten minutes and no one had come to the door. Fear settled in his chest as he knocked again. Again there was no answer, so with shaking hands he dug his key out of his pocket, took a deep breath and let himself into the apartment. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the place completely empty. What the hell was going on? Where did Leon go? He snatched up his phone and called Jill. Hopefully she knew something.

 

**June 3rd, 2010 08:30am**

**Washington DC: White House**

 

Chris stepped into the President's office warily. He wasn't sure if this was going to work, but he was out of options. Even enlisting Jill and Sheva's help he hadn't been able to find out where Leon had gone. The younger man had just disappeared and the only person who might be able to help him was the President of the United States. When he'd asked for an audience with the man he hadn't even been sure it would be possible. The President was a busy man and had a country to run.

“Chris Redfield. To what do I owe this honor?” The older man behind the desk asked with a smile, rising to his feet.

“I have a favor to ask sir.” Chris replied after shaking the proffered hand.

“Ah. Well have a seat.” The President gestured to the chair across from him as he sat back down at his desk. “What can I do for the BSAA?”

“It isn't for the BSAA...its for me.” Chris swallowed nervously as he took a seat. A smile crossed the other man's lips.

“You want to know where Leon is.”

“How did you know?” Chris asked in shock.

“I have been informed of your desperate search for my agent. You and your friends have had my security people in an uproar with your, legally questionable, forays into our network.” Chris flushed and stared at the ground in embarrassment. He hadn't thought they would get caught. “Why should I tell you where he is, Mr. Redfield?” The President asked calmly, his earlier amusement gone.

“I need to talk to him.”

“That is not a sufficient enough reason for me to jeopardize his safety. Try again.”

“I need to apologize to him.” Chris insisted.

“Write a letter. I can give it to him the next time I see him.”

“You don't understand!” The younger man blurted, getting to his feet and beginning to pace. “I have to _see_ him. He doesn't believe in words. He has to see that I mean what I'm saying. I have to _prove_ it to him.”

“Prove what?” The President asked gently.

“That I love him.” Chris replied. He wasn't sure how the Commander-in-Chief was going to respond to what he had to say, but he had to take a chance. To his surprise the other man only smiled encouragingly.

“Go on.”

“I was being stupid.” The brunette admitted before slumping back down into his chair. “The last time I talked to him all I did was yell and accuse him of shit without letting him speak. I was so wound up after Omega that my anger and worry over his reckless actions were all I could focus on...he was right to hit me.” He rubbed his jaw. “I went to his apartment to talk to him a few days ago, but he was gone.” Chris lifted eyes to meet the steady gaze of the man across from him. “I need your help.” He said earnestly. “I made the worst mistake of my life by letting Leon walk away and I will do whatever it takes to get him back.”

 

**June 4th, 2010 11:30am**

**Washington DC: Leon's House**

 

Leon sighed as he finished unpacking the last box. The move had been good for him, but he was exhausted. He still wasn't completely healed physically so it took less for him to get tired. His appetite was back though and he'd finally begun to sleep through the night, so he no longer looked like a zombie, which was fortunate. He still missed Chris, though, it was a constant pain in his chest unlike anything he had felt before. It was agony and took all of his concentration to push aside. Moving helped. It gave him something else to focus on besides the pain and loneliness.

A knock at the door made him freeze and Mimic run under the couch. Leon drew the gun he'd tucked into his waistband then slowly made his way to the door. No one was supposed to know where he lived and so far the neighbors had left him alone. Only his superiors at the White House had his new address and it was so deeply classified that not a soul could get their hands on it, which begged the question...who was at his door? He braced himself for attack then looked through the peephole and promptly forgot how to breathe. Chris Redfield stood on his porch looking nervous as hell. How the hell? With a shaking hand Leon reached for the deadbolt then hesitated. A second knock came, startling him and his breath came out with an audible whoosh. Shit, he needed to pull himself together. He closed his eyes and took a moment to steady himself then, after pulling a cold mask of neutrality over his face, he unlocked the door and let it swing open.

“Leon.” Chris whispered, relief in his eyes. Leon watched the other man's every move warily and kept his gun hanging loosely at his side. He wasn't sure why the brunette was here, but he wasn't about to get his hopes up. “May I come in?” The older man asked cautiously, his alert eyes had noticed the gun in Leon's hand. “I have a lot to apologize for and I think we'd both be more comfortable sitting down...it'll take a while.” When Leon still didn't respond Chris shifted on his feet uneasily. “Unless you don't want to talk...I can go.” It took all Leon's control to not reach out and grab the older man to keep him there. Instead of speaking he moved away from the door and motioned for Chris to come in. “Thanks.” The taller man smiled fleetingly as he stepped into the house. Mimic came tearing out from beneath the couch chirping excitedly and leaped at Chris's legs. The brunette laughed, catching the small fox and bringing him up to give him a kiss.

“I can't believe how much I missed this little guy.” Leon snorted then walked into his kitchen to grab a couple beers from the fridge. When he came back out Chris had a more serious look on his face. “I missed you too Leon. The past month has been torture without you.” They were sweet words, but only that...words. Leon handed the older man a beer then sat down on one of the chairs in his living room with the other one. Chris took a deep breath then set Mimic down and sat on the couch directly across from him. “You're a hard man to find, ya know that?” Leon nodded once. He'd been trained to be a ghost and was a little concerned that Chris had found him so quickly. “I actually had to go to the President and ask for a favor.” Ah, so that's how it happened. He sighed thinking of his boss. The man was a goddamn busybody who was always trying to meddle in Leon's personal life. They were going to have a serious talk when he went back to work in a week. “Aren't you going to say anything?”

“Am I allowed to talk now?” Leon asked sarcastically. Chris winced, obviously remembering their last few conversations.

“I'm sorry Leon.” The older man said sincerely. “I truly am. When I found out what Jameson had done to you I finally realized what you had been trying to tell me...and I wouldn't listen.” Tears filled Chris' blue eyes. “I was being an ass. I was just so angry and worried that I didn't stop to think about _why_ you were acting so recklessly.” It was Leon's turn to shift uncomfortably. His reckless behavior couldn't be blamed _entirely_ on Jameson. He enjoyed pushing his skills to the limits, which was why he had never worked well on a team. Most people were intimidated by him. Chris was the first to treat him with kid gloves and question what he was capable of. This was one of the things that pissed Leon off. He wasn't a child and he wasn't weak. He also was more skilled than Chris in a lot of ways. “I'm sorry I didn't let you explain.” Chris continued, breaking Leon out of his thoughts. “I don't want to lose you, but I'll understand if you no longer want to be with me. I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with. I'm overbearing and-”  
“A fool.” Leon cut in. “Arrogant. Possessive.” He continued, warming to the subject. “An asshole. You have a short temper.”

“You done?” Chris glared.

“No.” Leon retorted then decided to relent and sat back with a sigh. “You want to put me in a plastic bubble, Redfield, but what you don't get is that I am just as capable as you are, maybe even more. I can keep calm under pressure, unlike you, and I happen to enjoy pushing myself to the limit. I don't play it safe. Some might think me reckless or that I have a death wish, but I don't give a shit.” He stood angrily, glaring down at Chris. “I also don't want to be with someone who is going to try and control me. I love you and I don't regret a minute of the time we spent together, but if you want me docile and needy like I was than you can leave now.”

“You love me still?”

“Yes, you idiot.” Leon rolled his eyes. “What I felt over the past few months wasn't fake or some delusion brought on by what Jameson did to me. It was real and walking away from you was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but I had to. I'm not a fucking child and I refused to stand there and let you treat me like one.” Chris opened his mouth to respond, but Leon held up a hand. “No, its my turn to talk now. You had your say. If you don't want to lose me then treat me like a fucking adult, your equal. I know I was out of it the past few months and I appreciate everything you did for me. You gave me a safe place to stay and kept me together when I started to fall apart. I may not be completely whole, I don't know if I ever will be, I've seen and been through too much shit. I can deal with it now. I don't want to be alone, it hurts like hell. Every day is a struggle to get through, but if you don't want me as I am then get the fuck out.” He was breathing heavily by the time he was done and could feel hot tears streaking down his face. “I love you more than anything, Chris, and I always will. You picked up the shattered pieces of my life and put me back together, but you don't own me.”

“You're right.” Chris croaked. He was also crying. “God, Rookie, I'm so sorry.” He got to his feet and walked slowly towards the younger man. “I don't own you and I never should have treated you like I did. I love you so goddamn much. Please come home.” Leon inhaled sharply, rocking back on his heels at the words he'd been praying to hear. Home. That was where ever Chris was. He fell into the older man's warm embrace, breathing in his all too familiar scent. “I know I'm not perfect. I know I'll make mistakes, but I need you Leon. Life just doesn't seem worth living without you by my side.” Chris whispered, stroking the smaller man's hair. Leon wrapped his arms around the other man's neck and used his hands to pull his head down. Their lips met and the resulting kiss was filled with passion, love, and a desperate need.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
